I Will Lift The Curse
by Magz2015
Summary: After rescuing a girl with red hair and blue eyes, whose great grandmother was an unmarked Hyuuga, Neji is giving the mission to protect her from the Elder's of the Hyuuga Clan who have their own reasons for wanting her. As his feelings for this red haired beauty grow, so do the attempts of the Elders to get her. Will he get to tell her how he feels before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Groaning as she walked into her office, Tsunade sat down behind her desk. "I swear I hate having to be cooped up in this damned office all the time."

With a glare as she crossed her arms, Shizune sighed. "My Lady, if you would just do your paperwork and stop putting it off all the time you wouldn't have to stay in here all the time."

"Well Shizune…" Turning her glare to her assistant, Tsunade crossed her arms. "If someone else wouldn't keep shoving more paper work on my desk as I clear some I might also get done faster."

Not backing down, Shizune narrowed her eyes back. "I have to do that because you are three weeks, three weeks behind in your paper work!"

Rolling her eyes, Tsunade closed them as she looked away from Shizune. "Don't you have something else that you need to be doing?"

But before Shizune could say anything back, they both looked at the door as a keeper flung it open and raced to the desk. Stepping up as the Keeper was handing the scroll to Tsunade, Shizune blinked. "What is it?"

Standing and looking at Shizune, the keeper was breathing hard. "It was marked urgent and comes from a village that is right on the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind."

Standing up as she slammed her hands down on her desk, Tsunade drew the attention of them both. "Shizune I want you to go and get a squad together. Right now."

With a nod, Shizune turned to leave to get together some ninja for something that was clearly important. 'I wonder what is going on?

"I don't want just any ninja for this." When Shizune turned back and looked at her, Tsunade was all work mode right now. "I want Neji, Tenten, Lee, Shikamaru and Ino for this one. Bring them here right now."

"My Lady." Shizune was then gone in a puff of smoke.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, the keeper looked at Tsunade with an odd look. "Lady Hokage what is going on?"

Going to look out the window, Tsunade glared. "The Akatsuki. They are up to no good again, but this time they are not after a tailed beast. This time they are targeting someone who is more pure than anyone else in the world could be."

"I do not understand My Lady."

Narrowing her eyes, Shizune fisted her hands. "They are right now trying to go after the miko of the Aizawa Shine. But there is a secret to that miko that we can't let them get."

X

In the middle of the large training area outside the main house, Neji squared off with Hinata again. Ever since the first Chunin Exam, he has watched as she tried and tried to get stronger in hopes that she would impress her father. But her father has been so focused on him and getting him strong that he didn't see how much she was trying to get strong. But he also knew that while he bore the curse mark, he could never take over as Head of the Hyuuga. That was going to be Hinata. It wasn't her fault he had the life he had. So he was determined to help her get strong. "Again Hinata."

With a nod as she was breathing hard, Hinata took her stance. "Right Neji."

"Stop!"

Just before he started to go toward Hinata, Neji stopped and turned to see the doors to the house fling open, to reveal Shizune who was breathing hard, along with Lee, Tenten, Shikamaru and Ino with her. "Lady Shizune what is it?"

"Lady Tsunade wants to see you along with the others with me at her office at once." Taking a deep breath as she stood up, she saw the question in his eyes. "I don't know what is going on but I know she was all work mode for it. She doesn't do that unless it is serious. And she asked for everyone I am getting by name."

"Right." Turning back to his cousin, Neji sighed. "Until the next time I am home then Hinata?"

"Right cousin." Hinata then blinked as they were all just gone. "I wonder what is going on?"

X

Looking out the window, Tsunade let out a sigh now that everyone was there, Tsunade would give them the rundown of the mission. And why she had them specifically. "Well now that everyone is here, I will detail the mission." Turning and going to sit in her chair she let her eyes meet with Neji's. "This mission is going to be especially crucial to the Hyuuga Family as well."

His eyes narrowing, Neji crossed his arms. "How is that?"

Reaching up and pulling a small stack of papers off the corner of her desk, Tsunade sighed. "While Shizune was gathering you all, I was in another room here looking at the little information that we have on the Aizawa Clan."

Gasping and pulling all eyes to her, Ino stepped forward. "Aizawa Clan? Like as in the Aizawa Shrine?"

"That is right Ino." Looking back down at the papers, Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "Actually the miko that is head of the shrine right now is eighteen. One year younger than you Ino. And…"

Pulling her attention back to him, Neji glared as he stepped in front of Ino. "How exactly does this Aizawa Clan tie in with the Hyuuga?"

Narrowing her own eyes Tsunade met his. "Four generations ago. Your great, great grandfather and his best friend, each welcomed children on the same day. Your great grandfather was one of them, a future head of the Hyuuga Clan. For his friend, he welcomed a little girl. And being of a Branch Family to start with, he knew that one day they were going to put the curse mark you bear on her. However, she didn't get the curse mark after all."

His eyes going wide the narrowing again, Neji tensed. "How did that happen? As far as I know, Hanabi is the only Hyuuga that should have gotten the curse mark but hasn't because Uncle has put his foot down with her. It is typically done by the time they are four years old."

Standing as she turned away from him, Tsunade let her eyes look in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. "Not only was he best friends with your great, great Grandfather, who was also Head of the Hyuuga at the time, he was also personal friends with the Second Hokage. Wanting more for his daughter than the hell he went through, he went to the Second and plead his case to him. Just like all the other Hokage, the Second never did like the ways of the Hyuuga with the curse mark. But it was never brought before him as a problem before that. And he knew that there were only two ways to keep that infant girl from having it done to her. Kill her, or send her out of the village."

Pulling eyes to her this time, Tenten had a shocked look on her face. "Wait the Second Hokage wouldn't have really let the Byakugan leave the village without sealing the power first right?"

With a smile as she looked over at his picture, Tsunade nodded. "Not only did he, but after talking it over with her parents who wanted to watch their daughter grow, seeing her grow from afar with no fear of a curse mark was more important to them. The second took that infant girl to the Aizawa Shine where a family more than willingly took her in. She eventually gave birth to a daughter. And she gave birth to a son. That son married the miko of his generation. The two of them had two children. A son then five years later a daughter. He had black hair and blue eyes with some purification but that was it. She is said to have more purification, and more chakra than any miko in the history of the Clan. And though her eyes are a sparkling blue in color, that she can use the Byakugan just like her great grandmother could."

His eyes glaring, Neji didn't know what to think about this situation. But a mission was a mission. "So what exactly is our mission and who is lead?"

Her eyes staying with his, Tsunade was stern. "You are lead, Shikamaru is backup. Your mission is very simple. "Get to the shrine as fast as you can. Make sure that the miko Akako Aizawa is safe and bring her back to the village as soon as possible."

Nodding, Neji closed his eyes. "Akako Aizawa is the miko right now so she is the one who has a great grandmother that was pure Hyuuga?"

"That's right." Opening a file, Tsunade took a picture out and handed to him. "That was taken three years ago when she accepted the role of Miko of the Shirne."

Looking at the picture as well, Ino sighed. "She is beautiful. If she is one year younger than me, that would put her at just being fifteen there. I wonder if she has changed or not?"

Tucking the picture away, Neji sighed. "That has no place here in the case Ino." With a sigh as he turned back to Tsunade, Neji was serious now. "Is there anything else?"

"There is actually. No resting until you get there. None. The Akatsuki are involved." When all eyes went wide, even Neji's, Tsunade closed her eyes as she sighed. "We are not sure why they want her other than they must have figured out that she can use the Byakugan. Yesterday the Akatsuki member Deidara attacked the shrine trying to get her. We don't know if he did or not. This is important. If she is not there at the Shrine when you get there, find her. Don't come back without her."

"Lady Hokage."

X

"You wished to see me Lady Hokage?" Hiashi walked into the Hokage office with a curious look. He had every intention on coming here over what is going on with his daughter if that was what it was about. Though he didn't really think that Tsunade would mind. "Is this about…"

"No it is not about what is going on with Hinata. In fact I know he will be here in a few days because of Hinata. I won't put up a fight on that one in the least. But I wanted to tell you about the mission that I just sent Neji on." Opening her glaring eyes to meet his silver, Tsunade took a deep breath. "It's finally time to show the elders of your clan that they can no longer just do as they please with the curse mark. The Akatsuki attacked the Aizawa. They are after the great granddaughter of the Hyuuga the Second helped get out. I sent Neji, Shikamaru, Tenten, Lee and Ino to get her back."


	2. Chapter 2

Once they had all they were going to need for the possibility of being gone for a long time, they all gathered at the gate and headed out as fast as they could go toward the Aizawa Shrine. Though for Shikamaru at least it wasn't really sitting well with him that he couldn't plan anything on the way, knowing nothing about the Aizawa themselves. Looking over at Ino he sighed. "Hey Ino. When Tsunade said Aizawa you seemed to know exactly who she was talking about. What do you know about them? Tell me everything."

Nodding as she looked at him, Ino sighed. "I do. I started researching mikos and stuff once we all got done helping Naruto with Shion. You remember her right?"

With a half glare, Shikamaru looked straight ahead again. "Yeah. Not sure how he got the miko to fall for him in the first place still."

Rolling her eyes, Ino also looked straight. "Well Shion had no chakra. She was just a miko. Her clan mixed the purest females with the purest males to get a miko and or monk for the next generation that was at least just as strong as the past or stronger. The Aizawa would intentionally mix ninja with lots of chakra into their bloodline. I never found out why, but each miko is not only born with purification that would rival Shion's, but incredible amounts of chakra as well."

"Mixing different Ninja blood in overtime, do they have anything special that they can do because of it?" Looking sideways again he narrowed her eyes. "We know from Lady Tsunade that she can use the Byakugan even though she has blue eyes. But can they do anything like my Shadow Possession or Choji's Expansion?"

"I don't know. In the stories that I have heard and the stuff I have read, they say that they mixed with some members of the Hidden Eddy Village and got a special trait from them but it has never been verified as true or not." When she felt his eyes on her again, Ino sighed. "Chakra Chains."

Blinking as he kept his eyes on her, Shikamaru had never heard of that before. "Chakra Chains? What in the world are those?"

Pulling eyes to him, it was Neji that spoke. "That I know about. The Hidden Eddy Village fell into ruin just before the first great Ninja War. When all of our grandparents would have only been little. Not one person from the village survived. The Eddy Village was known as the Village of Longevity because it seemed that everyone there lived a natural life longer than others. It is said that there is where the Chakra Chains was developed by a clan that lived in there."

Nodding Ino then drew Shikamaru's eyes to him. "And according to what I read about the Aizawa, back then, not just one miko, but about every other generation for a few different ones would marry into the Eddy Village, and that one of those times, they had a daughter that could use chakra chains."

"But what exactly are they? Neji?"

"According to records kept by the First Hokage, the chakra chains are chains that can be used to make barriers and weapons. They would use their chakra and manifest it that way." A glance back him, and Neji sighed. "Though those were reports that were written before he took Lady Mito as his wife as well."

With a groan, Shikamaru crossed his arms as he closed his eyes. "That's just great. Not only is she a miko that has full use of the Byakugan, but she could possibly be able to use something like that. No wonder the Akatsuki are involved. If they have done their homework they are hoping that she can I bet so they can take it from her."

His eyes narrowing as he lead the way, Neji was fully focused on what he had to do right now. "All the more reason to get her back to the village and safe. I refuse to let the Byakugan, or anything else that could give the Akatsuki more strength fall into their hands."

Finally speaking up since the first time that they left, Tenten kept her eyes on Neji with worry clearly in them. "Neji you aren't going to let it get to you right?"

Turning to Tenten with an odd look, Neji blinked. "Let what get to me Tenten?"

Her eyes never wavering, Tenten sighed. "The fact that she got out of having the curse mark and you had to get it."

With a smile as he turned away from her, Neji sighed. "I have no reason to resent her for anything Tenten. She is a fourth generation out from the one who did get out of the curse mark. She, I am sure, has no clue what the curse mark even is or why it is given."

Dropping her eyes, Tenten sighed. "I know that Neji but still…"

"Enough Tenten."

With a sigh, Tenten dropped it as she dropped her head and half closed her eyes. 'I know what you are saying Neji, and I know personally how much you detest the curse mark. And how it affected you when Hiashi put his foot down and refused to let them put the curse mark on Hanabi. I just really hope you don't end up going off the deep end with this.'

X

With her hands pushed together as tightly as they could go, Akako focused all she had on the barrier. It was her main concern right now. For three days now, she has been awake with the help of an injection of pure caffeine reciting the same prayer to keep the barrier up. And with every vicious attack on it, her determination to keep it up went higher. But she knew she couldn't do this forever. Eventually the caffeine would not work anymore. "Damnit! Where are they at?"

"Lady Akako!"

"Oh don't give me that. I don't really care at this point. I have been up for three days now! The Leaf Ninja should have been here by now and I want to know where they are!" For just a brief second she let her eyes flick to her grandmother who still lay unconscious next to her. Then another hard slam into her barrier pulled her glaring blue eyes back up to the blond in the red and black cloak. "What is it that you want!?"

With smile, Deidara laughed as he shoved his hand in his bag. "That is simple. I want you and your grandmother to come with me. We would very much like to take that Byakugan and purification you have, and your grandmother's Byakugan." The rage that flew into her eyes made him laugh as he once again jumped from his bird with a bomb in his hand and landed on her barrier.

With all her energy flaring into her barrier, Akako was shaking. "You can go to hell."

Laughing as he stooped down, Deidara looked right at her. "Such a pure soul should not be talking like that. Though I do gotta say, you got some stamina to keep this up. But I have so much more than you do and….." But then he glared as he jumped away and landed on his bird just as shuriken slammed into the barrier. Watching as five Leaf ninja flooded out of the woods he sighed. "What a shame. They didn't send Naruto."

Landing in a tree, just behind the barrier, Neji let his Byakugan flare to life as he went over all those in the large barrier. More than a dozen were injured, and half were bad. "Ino. Tenten. Your task is to use your medical ninjutsu. There are some severly injured in there. Lee, Shikamaru we fight."

Letting his bird fly higher, Deidara laughed. Though he knew that the last three days have nearly drained him of chakra, and detonating clay. "I don't think so. We know she is going to the Leaf now, so it will just be a matter of time before we come for her and Naruto."

His eyes narrowing, Neji took a deep breath. "It won't happen. You will not get either of them."

"We shall see." Deidara then laughed as he flew off.

Watching and waiting for him to leave, Akako then sighed as she let her focus fall and the barrier vanished. Falling forward her hands hit the ground as her vision blurred, on the verge of passing out. "It sure took you long enough to get here."

Jumping from the tree to land right next to her, Neji bent over toward her. "We came as soon as we could. Are you injured?"

Shaking her head as her eyes half closed, Akako took a deep breath. "Just tired. My grandmother though…." Then she fell to the side as she passed out.

Reaching out and grabbing her before she hit the ground Neji sighed as he gently laid her down. Looking over at the old woman as her head rolled he sighed. When she opened her eyes he forced himself not to react. They were the same silvery pale as his, but had a black pupil. "Where were you injured?"

With a slight gasp as her eyes fixed on the face that spoke to her, Aoi let her eyes go wide. She was looking into the same eyes that her mother had. She never thought she would ever see eyes just like that again. "You are of the Hyuuga…"

Nodding as he helped her to sit up, Neji sighed. "So you know of your mother's bloodline then?"

"I do." Wincing as she reached to her stomach she sighed to feel the blood seeping out. "That hurt."

"Tenten. Come here." When she got there, Neji sighed. "She has a wound on her side."

Looking up as he started to walk away Aoi sighed. "I was ten when someone from the Hyuuga Clan came. They tried to force my mother and I to go back, or seal our Byakugan's. It was someone who called himself the Third Hokage that stopped them. That was when I found out."

With a nod as he turned back to look at her with a soft smile, Neji sighed. "I see. Rest now while she heals your wound." Once she was relaxed again as Tenten worked on healing her wound, Neji turned his eyes back to Akako. Her hair was flame red and longer than anyone he knew. And her eyes were still the same dazzling, sparkling blue color that they were in the photo. Traits he knew that she got from the other blood mixed in with the Hyuuga.

Looking up and around as the villagers all seemed to be wondering around but not going to far he flared his Byakugan to life. It would seem that there were a few dozen deaths before she was able to get the barrier up. And the village and shrine were completely destroyed. "Lee."

Going to him, Lee blinked. "Yes Neji?"

Still looking around, more for survivors or traps, Neji glared. "You are the fastest one of all of us here. Get back to the leaf and tell Lady Tsunade that we need Sakura for some of the wounded, and more man power. The village is gone and there are many dead that need buried before we head out."

With a sharp nod as he saluted him, Lee stood at attention. "Right away Neji!" Then he was just gone.


	3. Chapter 3

With a groan as she slowly opened her eyes, Akako moved a hand up to cover her eyes. "Oh man my head hurts."

"You are awake I see."

Opening her eyes, all the way Akako gasped to see that she was being carried! Looking up her eyes went even more when she looked into the same silvery eyes that her grandmother had, minus the pupil! "Your eyes…..are you a….."

Nodding as he kept his emotionless face Neji kept his eyes with her. "Yes. I am Neji Hyuuga."

Blinking for a moment, all Akako could do was look up at him. She couldn't believe that she was actually seeing the eyes of another Hyuuga! And with the Leaf Headband, he was pure. But as she glanced down to see that he was still carrying her, she hid her face as a blush flew into her cheeks. "Um, could you please put me down?"

Stopping, Neji gave her a concerned look. It took five days to get more ninja there to burry the dead and help get the villagers going and they have only been walking for a day. And she had been out nearly the entire time. "You are sure that you are strong enough to walk on your own? You have been passed out for nearly a week."

Nodding as she half smiled, Akako laughed. "Yes I am."

Sitting her down but staying next to her, Neji watched as she swayed and reached out and grabbed his arm to steady herself. "Really?"

With a sigh as she smiled and looked up at him, Akako gave him a nod. "I have to be. I can't be weak."

Not moving his eyes from hers, Neji moved his arm to her waist to steady her. "The villagers told us that you had been awake for three days straight. And then passed out for a week. That alone would make anyone physically and mentally weak for a while. It is nothing to be ashamed of."

Still holding onto him some, Akako shook her head no as she turned sad eyes down to look at her feet. "I know but I promised him. I promised my older brother and my parents the day that they died that I would never be so weak that I needed to depend on someone again. That way they wouldn't worry about me. I already broke that once, I can't do it again."

Blinking Neji let his head fall to the side. "Once?"

"When I had them send the bird for help from the Leaf."

Smiling, Neji closed his eyes as she used him to help keep her steady. "I can understand that then. Though there are times that you just can't do it alone."

Looking up at him, Akako had a pleading look. "Neji right?" When he nodded to her, Akako took a deep breath. "I hate to sound so blunt, but you are the very first full Hyuuga that I have ever met. And there is something that I would like to ask you."

Blinking as he looked into her sparkling blue eyes, as blue as the ocean and full of pure innocence, the reaction he had was shocking. If he didn't watch it, those were eyes that he would get lost in. And had no clue why he reacted that way. "What is that?"

As her eyes started to mist over, remembering the last conversation she had with her father, Akako kept eye contact with him. "I want to be able to use the Byakugan better and some of the jutsu that comes with it. I can see through things with it, and according to Papa I was different since I can see in color. I want to learn more about what a Hyuuga does. Please?"

With a sigh as he closed his eyes, Neji hid the glare in his eyes. He would, but he didn't know what was going to happen when they got back to the village if the elders hear about this. "That we will find out for sure when we get back to the Leaf Village. I am not sure if I can or not."

Confused now, Akako let her head fall to the side. "What do you mean? Why couldn't you?"

Leading her over to a tree he let her lean on the tree rather than him as he reached up and began to untie his headband. "What do you or your grandmother know about ways of the Hyuuga?"

Dropping her head, Akako sighed. "Nothing. Grandmother told me that her mother was the first ever Hyuuga in the village. But other than that if she knows anything she didn't tell me or Papa."

"For good reason I am sure. Your great grandmother was part of what is called a Branch Family. She was not born as the heir to the main family. I am sure that Lady Tsunade will fight it, as will my Uncle. Seeing as they see what I go through having it."

"Go through having what?" But the Akako gasped as she watched him take his headband off, and the bandage under it to reveal a bright green mark. "What in the world is that?"

"It is a form of curse mark. Only the first born of the head of the Clan gets to go without the mark. Everyone else is considered branch and they have to have it." With a mix of emotions flying through his eyes as he looked down Neji sighed. "As far as I know, there are only three people alive other than the Head of the Clan and down that do not have this mark."

"Who is that?"

Not even looking up, Neji took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. "That would be you, your grandmother and my cousin Hanabi, the youngest of two children born to my Uncle who is Head of the Clan right now."

Looking down herself as sadness swept over her, Akako sighed as her hair fell around her face. "Will he want to try and make my grandmother to get one?"

Turning a soft smile back to her when he heard the worry in her voice, Neji smiled himself. "No. My Uncle is the one who stopped the mark from being put on my cousin. And dislikes it as much as those that are forced to get it."

With a giggle that made his eyes go wide as she smiled up at him, Akako sighed. "But you will be able to teach me some right?"

When his silver eyes met her sky blue eyes again he took a deep breath as he starred at her for a moment. 'Why do those eyes of hers affect me like that each time I see them?' Finally he closed his eyes as he sighed. "We have two more days before we get back to the Leaf. I will help you with what you can do now and build on that. After that, it will be up to my Uncle if I can continue to train you in it."

Confused now, after hearing the warm way he talked about him, Akako didn't know what to think about what he told her the ways of the Hyuuga were. "But why is it up to him if you can teach me how to use something I have anyway?"

Crossing his arms as he looked away from her Neji was beginning to get irritated talking about the Hyuuga so much. There was just something about her that relaxed him. But while she had the same blood he did, she was a third generation out from a pure Hyuuga. "He is the Head of the Clan and we have to do as he says. You are more Aizawa than Hyuuga clearly by the red hair and blue eyes. You do not have to go by the same rules that I have to." 

Angry now, Akako glared up at him. "And what exactly does that mean anyway? Just cause my mom and dad aren't both pure Hyuuga doesn't mean that I don't have Hyuuga blood."

Turning back at her, Neji had a haunting look to his eyes. "It is what is done in the Clan. Everyone looks basically the same. You will never see a Hyuuga with your eye color or hair color. By having the red hair and blue colored eyes, it is clear that you are further out from your pure Hyuuga great grandmother. It is just the way it has always been in the Hidden Leaf and for me it won't change."

Finally feeling able, Akako moved around to get in front of him as he started to walk away. She saw the sadness in his eyes and heard it in her voice, and she has never liked seeing that in people. Smiling up at him as she laughed and let her head fall to the side. "Don't worry everything will work out in the end. You never know, I have Hyuuga blood. Maybe I can change the way of the Hyuuga Clan and make them stop cursing everyone."

With a half glare in his eyes as he walked around her, Neji crossed his arms. "That I will believe when I see it."

Reaching out and grabbing his arm, Akako smiled as her eyes danced into his as she gave a nod. "I bet you it does. And if nothing else I will try to change it. Just have some faith it will all work out." Then with another giggle she gave him another nod and turned to go and check on her grandmother and other villagers.

Watching after her for a moment, Neji didn't know what to think about her. He then turned and went to Shikamaru to see if he came up with a way to get them to the Leaf faster than letting them pick the pace. But more than once his eyes strayed to the red head as she sat with her grandmother. Seeing her happy and smiling, strangely made him feel better. And the way that he reacted whenever he got a solid look into her eyes. Finally turning his eyes away from her he sighed. It was clear there was an attraction. But it would never happen. The Hyuuga would never let it.


	4. Chapter 4

After two days of walking, Ayako blinked as she walked next to her grandmother behind Neji. She didn't realize just how fast that they could really get to the Leaf. But now understood why it took them three days for them to get back. Then she looked up to see the gate and blinked. "Oh my. I think we could fit the entire shrine just in this gate!"

As they walked through the gate Aoi lookd to the side to see a group of people walking toward them. But she guessed who they were the second she saw their eyes. They all had her mother's eyes. She looked over at Akako who was looking back at the gate, then saw Neji move as they all stopped. "Neji….."

"My Uncle is not there. Just stay behind me." Neji moved so that he was between Akako and Aoi, and Hitoshi. The Head Elder of the Hyuuga Clan.

Hearing her grandmother and Neji, Akako looked up to see who was coming toward them. Moving so just her head was around Neji, she blinked. "Are they from…"

Nodding Neji kept his eyes with Hitoshi. "They are the Elders of the Hyuuga Clan. I will handle this. Whatever you do don't take off."

Nodding as she looked back up at him, Akako blinked. She hadn't seen him like this before. "Alright."

As he reached the group, Hitoshi did not hide the glare he had for Neji. He was after all a Branch Family and had no reason to be respectful to him. "I see you have done what three other generations could not do and returned the last of the rouge Hyuuga bloodline. "Good work. We will take things from here. They need to be marked as soon as possible."

Taking a deep breath, and hoping since they were at the entrance of the village, Hitoshi wouldn't do it, Neji stood his ground. "I am sorry Elder but no. My orders are from Lady Hokage not Uncle Hiashi. We are to bring them back and take them straight to her. Not hand them over to the Elders of the Hyuuga for the curse mark."

Throwing his hand up by his face, Hitsohi let his Byakugan flare to life as he glared harder into Neji's eyes. "I am warning you boy. Hand them over or suffer."

Hearing footsteps stop next to him, Neji looked over to Shikamaru. He knew to stay out of it. But it would at least maybe make him not use it. "You cannot threaten Shikamaru Nara with that. He will see the orders are done. Your only choice here is to….." But then he gasped as his eyes glared in pain and he fell to his knees grabbing the sides of his head.

Watching, waiting for him to submit, Hitoshi kept the jutsu going. "I warned you Neji."

Watching with wide eyes as Neji struggled and glared. She could see the pain in his face. She had to assume that this is what the curse mark is for, and understood why he said he and his uncle want to end it. Looking back up at him, Akako was on the verge of tears. "Stop it!"

Not even looking at her, Hitoshi sighed. "When he submits the pain will stop. Then you and your grandmother are going to have the same thing done to the both of you."

"Never going to happen!" Taking a deep breath as she glared, Akako clapped her hands together making an instant barrier around herself, her grandmother and Neji. Dropping to her knees beside him, Akako touched his back as he fell forward onto his hands. Then glared up at Hitoshi. "Why did you do that. That is so cruel!"

With wide eyes as he looked at her, as Neji tried to catch his breath, Hitoshi could not believe what he just saw! She was the third generation out from a pure Hyuuga who had blue eyes and red hair. But she was a miko! If he could extract that out and fuse it in with another Hyuuga. 'I think when this is said and done there will be an upset in the rankings of the Hyuuga Clan.'

"Hitoshi Hyuuga what in the hell do you think you are doing here you daft fool!?"

Hearing the Hokage's voice behind him, Hitoshi glared as he turned. But then his eyes became slits of pure rage to find that Hinata was standing there behind her, without a curse mark and in the arms of the Kazekage! His eyes going back to Tsunade he crossed his arms in his robes. "I could ask you the same thing Tsunade. This is a Hyuuga matter." He then turned that same glare to Hinata, fisting his hands where no one could see when Gaara turned her so he could hardly see her. "Lady Hinata should you not be with your father training now?"

Stepping between him and Hinata, Tsunade crossed her arms as she narrowed her eyes. "You know what, this wouldn't be an issue if you of the Hyuuga weren't so damned closed minded. I have Hiashi on my side with this anyway."

Stomping his foot as he pointed toward the old woman, Hitoshi's glare never left Tsunade's. "Her mother would have been a branch family and should have been given the mark at four years old. If he really didn't want her to live in the village with the rest of the Hyuuga, there were other options."

Stomping her own foot and causing a shake in the ground, Tsunade hardened her eyes at him. "The point was so that she would be free to be her, not who you say she should have been and oppressed by your damned rules Hitoshi."

Turning and glaring at the two in the barrier with Neji, Hitoshi didn't hide the venom in his voice. "They will get the curse mark Tsunade. Just wait. In time I will have my way." He then turned and stormed back toward the Hyuuga Estate."

Standing along with him, Akako let her barrier fall as she looked in his eyes. She could see how much having that done to him affected him and her heart went out to him. She could still see the pain in his eyes. "Neji are you…"

Turning a small smile to her, Neji nodded his head. He would have to thank her properly for what she did when he had a chance. Her barrier so far is the only thing that can stop that jutsu. "I will be fine. Thank you." He then stood tall as he turned serious eyes back to Tsunade. "My apologies Lady Hokage."

"Nothing to be sorry for Neji you didn't know he was going to do that." Looking to her side as Gaara lead the still ever timid Hinata up to stand next to her, Tsunade smiled. "I believe you know what is going on here Neji?"

"Indeed." Turning his smile to a now smiling Hinata, Neji sighed. "Uncle Hiashi and I knew what was going on with them. Until now no one else in the Clan had an idea. Hinata, be happy cousin." He then welcomed her in his arms as she moved from Gaara's side to hug him.

With a bright smile, Hinata hugged him back for a moment. She was so thankful to Naruto. He helped her grow in many ways, but he helped her build a better relationship with her cousin. "Thank you cousin."

"Come Hinata. We must be going."

Watching with wide eyes as the beautiful Hyuuga girl walked away with the guy with red hair. She could sense it, and see it in his eyes he was a good man with a good soul. But at the same time there was something monstrous and evil lurking inside of him somewhere as well. 'I wonder what that could be though? Maybe it is just a ninja thing since he is from the Sand.'

"Akako come. Stop spacing out."

Flinching as she turned back to her grandmother, Akako sighed. "Sorry Grandma." She then rushed to her and followed, Neji, Shikamaru and the Hokage toward the biggest building in the village. Walking through the halls she took in everything. It was a simple design with just a few basic pictures here and there.

But as they walked into a room she gasped when she saw another Hyuuga guy and a girl there. Tense now she walked on in next to her grandmother. 'Oh man what are they going to want?'

With blinking eyes, both Hiashi and Hanabi looked at the girl that walked in with the red hair and beautiful blue eyes. The old woman was clearly a Hyuuga, she had their Byakugan but a black pupil. But the younger one. Turning his questioning eyes to his nephew, Hiashi cleared his throat.

With a sigh as he closed his eyes, and crossed his arms Neji turned to face his uncle. "Yes Uncle. She is part of the bloodline. She has a Byakugan, and can use it just like us. Her eyes stay blue and she can see things in color."

With a sigh as he relaxed, Hiashi closed his eyes. "And Hitoshi?"

As she sat down at her desk, Tsunade glared. "You were right about him. He and his flunkies were there and tried to get Neji to hand them over. You wouldn't go into details with me about what was going on when you got here. I would like to hear the details now."

His eyes darting with an unsure glaze in them to first the old woman and then the red head. Hiashi sighed. "Lady Hokage could….."

Seeing exactly where that was going, Akako stomped her foot as she crossed her arms. "No we will not be leaving the room. I may not have as much Hyuuga as my grandmother, or her mother. But this is about about us I am sure. We will be here to hear it."

With a sigh as he just looked at her, Hiashi then dropped his head. "Very well then." Turning stern eyes to Tsunade he pulled out a scroll and laid it on the desk before her. "Being the head of the Hyuuga, no one tells me I can't go somewhere or do something so getting this was easy. Not only have I upset the Hyuuga by refusing to allow them to put that cursed mark on Hanabi. I have also allowed Hinata to wed Gaara and leave without it as well." Giving his nephew a sad look then turned back to Tsunade he sighed. "Every scroll in the Hyuuga Estate can be read easily, or deciphered easily. All except for this one. I am not sure but I believe that this scroll tells how to remove the curse mark without someone's death."

His eyes going wide, Neji stepped up to his Uncle, his eyes on the scroll on the desk. "May I see it Uncle?"

Nodding as he smiled, Hiashi took a deep breath. "You are the most gifted Hyuuga alive Neji. See if you can."

Reaching out and taking the scroll, Neji glared as he looked at the words. Nothing was legible, at least not to him. "It seems as if it is written in a different language. I wonder if Ibiki would have something that could do it?"

Moving up next to Neji, Akako looked at the scroll he looked at and arched her eyebrows as she blinked. "Wait a minute. We have that same scroll, or at least I think we still have that scroll back home at the shrine."

When all eyes turned to her in shock, even her grandmother, Akako blinked then rolled her eyes as she took it from Neji. "I didn't think that it had any meaning to it." Looking over it she nodded. "Yep, the reason why you can't decipher it is because this is the ancient language of the Aizawa. Our village predates all the hidden villages for near a hundred generations. Whenever they wanted to keep something secret, the miko of that generation would write in this ancient language that only she could write in, and decipher."

His eyes on her blinking, Neji was actually shocked. "But then how would a scroll that is about the Hyuuga end up part of the Aizawa shrine? AS far as anyone knows the Hyuuga have only been part of that village for four generations now."

Shaking her head as her blue eyes met his, Akako blinked. "I have no clue. But I do know the language, and how to decipher it, but is going to take me some time. Mama, before she died didn't focus on how to translate this stuff too much. She focused on training me how to use my Byakugan and miko training."

Turning to face her fully, Hiashi had extra wide eyes as he looked down at this red head. "Do you really think that you can do it? You can decipher it and see if that is what it is?"

Giving him a bright smile, Akako nodded then looked back down at the scroll as she rolled it back up. "Provided that old man doesn't get in my way I know that I can. It will just take me some time because I can't do it as fast as Mama could, or even Grandma. But I know I can."

Crossing her arms, Tsunade sat back in her chair and smiled. "Well I can take care of that. Neji." When he turned his eyes to her, she glared. "You, Tenten, Lee, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Kiba, Akamaru and Shino are on guard duty. You all stay with her and her grandmother at all times and let no one near them but myself and Hiashi."

With a sharp nod, Neji wouldn't hide the fact that he had some hope that this was true and would work out. He would love to have this curse mark off. And would show his father that he had helped to change the way of the Hyuuga. "Ma'am."

Smiling at first, Akako then gasped as her eyes went wide. She could still see then pain that was in Neji's eyes when that old man did whatever it was he did to him. It made her want to cry. Reaching in her pocket she pulled out a simple jade colored pendant and moved before Neji. Her eyes were stern with true concern shinning in them. "Here Neji wear this."

Looking first at the pendant and then into her blue eyes, Neji once again felt his heart jump. "What is that for?"

Rolling her eyes as she kept holding it out for him, Akako glared. "Come on just put it on."

Seeing she wasn't going to relent, Neji sighed as he reached out and took it, putting it on. "Will you tell me why now?"

With a smile, Akako folded her hands and whispered a small prayer, she then touched the pendant and let it glow brightly for a moment, then moved her hand and let it die down. She then smiled a sweet smile up into his eyes. "It is just that I hate seeing others in pain like that. The pain that was in your eyes bothered me. This way, since my barrier blocks whatever that was, he won't be able to do that to you again."

"He did that then?"

Looking up at his Uncle, Neji glared as he fisted his hands. "He did. I am not sure why, but Miss Aizawa threw up a barrier around herself, her grandmother and myself and it stopped it. He couldn't finish the jutsu."

Glaring to the right, Hiashi sighed. "He was determined to get them then wasn't he? Damn him."

"Determined for what?"

Looking back at Neji and Akako, Hiashi sighed. Eyes that mirrored his own, and beautiful sky blue ones were looking at him with question in them. Dropping his head he sighed. "His aim is not simply to put the curse mark on them, or seal the Byakugan away. He was seen with scrolls that hadn't been used but one other time, not long before the Leaf was in the starts of forming. To isolate all chakra, as well as all Hyuuga DNA and extract both from them. Whether they lived or died. If they did live, he would according to others, have the satisfaction in knowing that he protected the Hyuuga bloodline and kept it pure."


	5. Chapter 5

Gasping along with her grandmother, Akako's eyes went wide as she took a step back. Her eyes misting as she met Hiashi's gaze. "You mean that if he had took myself and my grandmother with him he would have done that and not cared what happened so long as the Hyuuga blood stays pure?"

With a sigh as he closed his eyes, Hiashi dropped his head. "Basically yes."

Hugging herself as she shivered, Akako sighed. "Oh man. That is just disturbing. No wonder my great grandmother's father took her to the Aizawa. He wanted her out of your clan. And compared to the simple and peaceful ways of the Aizawa, the Hyuuga are just barbaric."

Giving Hanabi a sad look Hiashi laid his hand on her head as he forced a smile. She shared his ambition to change the Hyuuga, and was ready to step up to be the next Head to do it. "I have to agree with you on that one. I am the head of the clan, but I detest most of the ways of the Hyuuga. They are most of them barbaric." He then gasped as he turned his eyes back to Tsunade. "My Lady might I make a suggestion for them?"

"Go on."

Moving to the window, Hiashi smiled at the vast number of people waiting for them outside. "Perhaps the villagers that survived from the Aizawa village could stay in the training houses of Training Field 16. It is not in use at the moment and is surely big enough to keep them all comfortable."

Thinking for a moment, Tsunade nodded as she smiled. "You know that is perfect. And the Jonin that are joining them later know it well too."

Looking from one to the other, Akako let her eyes land on Neji as she let her head fall to the side. "What is Training Field 16 now?"

With a small smile, Neji looked back down at her. "It is a place where ninja train to carry out missions in hostile territory in times of wary. It has not been used for a very long time. It is a mock village that is just about the same size as the Aizawa village. It should do nicely to give you and your villagers some place to stay for a while."

Smiling as she nodded, Akako closed her hands behind her. "Well I like that idea. It will be like having our own village again until we can figure the scroll out and how we are going to rebuild the village."

Though before anyone could say anything, all eyes turned to the door as it was thrown open, everyone glaring at who was at the door. Hitoshi. Moving along with Neji, Hiashi had himself between Hitoshi and Neji, he was in front of the old woman, Akako and Hanabi. "Hitoshi."

His Byakugan in full force, Hitoshi stormed up to Hiashi as he pointed his finger at him. "Where is it Hiashi? Where is the scroll? What the hell did you do with it!?"

His own Byakugan flaring to life, Hiashi stood his ground. "I am the Head of the Hyuuga Clan Hitoshi. No one tells me what to do with our scrolls. I will do as I please. The time of the curse mark will end soon. It is time to change the way that things are done in the Hyuuga. Get used it."

"Silence!" Hitoshi threw his arms in the air. "I will not have such nonsense spouted of your mouth like that! Just look at what happened to the Uchiha Clan because they did not take the steps to protect their jutsu as the Hyuuga have done. All but two of them were whipped out! You will give me that scroll back right now!"

Crossing his arms as he took a deep breath, Hiashi didn't even budge. This old fool knew better than to do anything to him, or Hanabi. They were Head Family and the entire Clan would come down on him for it. "I refuse."

Moving so that he could see Neji, Hitoshi held his glare as he brought his hand up to his face. "Then your nephew will suffer for it!" But just as he started the jutsu, his eyes went wide when Neji stood there and glared at him like nothing was going on. But he should have been doubled over in more pain than he had ever known. "Why aren't you in pain?! There is no way in hell you could have figured out how to read that scroll so soon!"

His eyes going wide, Hiashi gasped. "Wait so that is what the scroll holds. It is a way to take off the curse mark!"

Turning back to Hiashi, Hitoshi was in his face as he glared. "I am warning you Hiashi. I will rip anyone's head off to get ahold of that scroll. That goes for yours and Hanabi's too."

The sudden slam on the desk, startled the two grown men apart, and caused Akako to nearly jump out of her skin as she grabbed onto Neji's clothes. Tsunade glared up at Hitoshi with a clear message in the3m. "I am going to say this right here and right now Hitoshi. Back off and stay out of it. I ordered Hiashi to bring me the scroll after he told me about it. You may be the Hyuuga Elder you daft old fool, but the Hokage has more rank than even you do! No one ever tried to change the ways of the Hyuuga because it was just accepted by everyone over the years for generations. However, this new generation is standing up against it and it will be changed. Back the hell off and go home!"

Moving without warning, Hitoshi grabbed Neji's headband, and the bandage he wears under it off of his head to reveal the perfect curse mark. Turning back to Hiashi, and ignoring Tsunade all together, Hitoshi pointed to the mark on his head. "He still has his curse mark. So why didn't the jutsu work on him Hiashi?"

With a glare of her own, Akako moved to stand next to Neji as she glared up at him. "That would be because of me. I hate violence, especially when it is not needed. What you did to him was just cruel and barbaric. I wasn't going to just stand back and let you do it again. So I fixed it so you can't do it to him anymore. So long as he wears that pendant, he is constantly in a barrier of mine. And only myself or Neji can take it off. You can't even touch it."

With a glare as he started to reach for the pendant, but gasped as a blue barrier flickered as he hit it. He couldn't get it off of him. Turning a glare to the girl then Tsunade, then Hiashi he fisted his hands. "This isn't over Hiashi. Not by a long shot. I won't let you ruin the clan."

Jumping again as the door slammed shut, Akako sighed as she dropped her head. "I swear that man needs a attitude adjustment. He is just cruel."

With a true smile, Neji nodded. "I agree with that completely. Come on. Let's go and get your villagers to the training grounds so you can start to settle in." Looking up at Tsunade as they stopped at the door, Neji blinked. "You will send and inform the others?"

Nodding as she stood, Tsuande sighed. "I will have Sai send everyone a super beast scroll to everyone and let them know what is going on. They should be there shortly."

"Thank you. My Lady. Uncle. Hanabi."

X

Moving to stand next to Hiashi at the window, Tsunade sighed as she focused on Neji and Akako as they lead the way through the village. "Hitoshi isn't going to stop trying to get them or that scroll is he?"

Shaking his head side to side, Hiashi crossed his arms. "No. However what he said, and the way he reacted to me taking it, that has to be what is on that scroll. And it was Neji not falling victim to the curse mark like had done not long ago that caused him to say that. It has to be."

"Agreed." Turning and sitting back down glared at her desk. "But I have to wonder if it is more than just how to take the curse mark off? He knew you wouldn't be able to translate it either. I would wager that there is something else on that scroll that he doesn't want you to know about the Hyuuga as well. You should get some Hyuuga Clan members that you know are loyal to you and want the same thing. Station them around the training field."

"I already planned on that." Another look out the window at Neji and Akako, Hiashi couldn't help but smile to see a smile on his nephews face that he hadn't seen since before his father was murdered for the sake of the Clan. "However Tsunade. So you know. When all this is over, the Hyuuga will have one more upset that they will have to endure."

Giving him an odd look as he turned and headed for the door, Tsunade blinked. "What do you mean by that? The curse mark isn't going to be the only upset?"

With a smile as he stopped half way across the room, Hiashi looked down at Hanabi and then turned back to Tsunade. "When Hinata wanted to marry Gaara, I was more than willing to see her happy. She wanted change, but didn't want it to rest on her shoulders. Hanabi is the same. Once this is all said and done, and the curse mark is gone. It is a change in ranking."

Glaring as she crossed her arms, Tsuande tapped her foot. "Well you going to tell me what you are talking about or not Hitoshi?"

Going on to the door and laughing as he looked over his shoulder and opened the door, Hiashi sighed. "I will be stepping down to spend time with my wife and Hanabi. As well to have leave to go and visit Hinata and her children when they are born. I will be naming Neji the Head of the Hyuuga Clan." Laughing as he turned back to the door, Hiashi walked on through the door. "And I have a feeling his bride is going to be a raving red haired and blue eyed beauty with the guts to stand up to anyone right alongside him."


	6. Chapter 6

With her eyes going wide as they entered the training field, Akako could hardly believe her eyes. "Oh my gosh. Your uncle said that this would be about the same size as home. But Aizawa Village is much smaller than this."

With a sigh as he looked down at her when they all stopped, Neji blinked. "Much smaller? But there were many houses that were destroyed."

Shaking her head, Akako still had her eyes darting all around. "Those were not all houses. Aizawa Village is not that big. Most of what you saw was store houses where we would keep most of our supplies and stuff like that. Not houses." But then she gasped and her eyes went even wider. "Grandma! Look at that! That looks just like home!"

Following her finger, Neji blinked. "What do you mean that looks just like home?"

Letting a single tear fall from her face, Akako looked down with sad eyes and a half-smile. "That building, at least on the outside, looks just like home back in Aizawa Village where I grew up and lived with Mama, Papa and my brother."

"Then that is where you shall stay Lady Akako. Lady Aoi."

Turning with a start, Akako looked at one of the older men of the village. "But that wasn't what I meant when I said….."

Holding his hand up, the village smiled as he looked down at her. "We are going to put a few families in each of the other buildings. You and Lady Aoi will get the one place that may feel more like home until we are home Lady Akako." He then gave her a bow and joined the throng of other villagers as they moved toward the homes, just sort of separating as they went.

Smiling softly as she watched, Akako turned when her grandmother walked past her toward what was going to be home away from home. Before she started to follow her, Akako turned and looked over her shoulder at Neji. "You are coming with us right?"

With a nod, Neji followed them to the house and inside. It looked nice on the outside, but on the inside it was nothing but a big room with nothing special about it. Seeing the look on her face, Neji sighed. "This was once a training ground. The point of this training ground was to train in stealth missions. To see how easy you could sneak in, gather the information you needed and then get out without being noticed."

"I see." Looking around Akako sighed when she didn't even see a door for a bathroom in there. "I didn't expect it to really look like home on the inside. But I didn't expect one big empty room either." She then dropped her head with a sigh. "Please tell me though that there is a hidden door with a bathroom in it?"

With a smile, Neji shook his head. "There is not actually. However to give you and your grandmother privacy, when Tenten gets here, she has a scroll that she keeps things sealed in. She can use that and put a small house here inside this. It has a kitchen, bathroom and one smaller room. It would be perfect size for you and your grandmother to have privacy."

With a smile as she looked back up at him, Akako let her head fall to the side as she closed her eyes and folded her hands before her. "Really? That would be awesome."

Never been one for waiting, Neji turned to face her fully as he sighed and pulled her eyes to him open again. "You said that you need some time to translate the scroll. How exactly do you plan on doing that?"

Looking down at the floor, Akako smiled but had sad and half closed eyes. "The scrolls of the miko of the Aizawa goes back far. Some even mention seeing someone they called the Sage of the Six Paths at some point. For as long as there have been chakra using miko in the Aizawa. We have been able to write in the secret language like that scroll is in. Mama didn't focus too much on that. She trained me mostly in miko, and she and Papa had just started to train me in chakra when they died. But I know how to translate it."

When she felt his eyes on her, Akako turned her smile up at him as she opened her eyes. "The only way for me to translate it so we can read it, takes a perfect balance between my chakra and my purification that I have as a miko. Just looking at it, even I can't make it out, since it looks like it is written in code. In a way it is, because only I can do it. No other miko, whether they have chakra or not can do this. It is in my blood to be able to do it."

"I see." Neji then crossed his arms as he turned hard eyes to the floor. "However, what I don't understand is how something like this ended up with the Aizawa. The way that Hitoshi reacted to us having it, it is clear it is about the Hyuuga. But to have been written the way you said, that means that a Hyuuga at some point had something to do with the Aizawa. Before your great grandmother."

Nodding as she sighed, Akako looked down. "I know but I don't know. From what I know, Grandma's mother was the first Hyuuga to be in the village ever. I never really bothered to read the scroll that we had. And Mama used different scrolls to teach me how to translate it. But even doing that takes me a long time. It can take me a few hours at a time just to get a couple of words done. All day for just a single sentence. My purification never runs out like my chakra does. And according to Papa have a good amount, but not much compared to Mama. So most of my training centered around what I can do with my purification as a miko. And not a whole lot as a ninja."

With a sigh, Neji was already thinking of a way that he could help her with that. There were going to be more than enough people there in their protection from the elders that they literally had an unlimited amount of chakra at her disposal. So that wouldn't be a problem.

Laughing as she watched him go serious, Akako pulled his eyes to her as she smiled. "The next thing that Mama and Papa were going to teach me was how to use my chakra better. And the chakra transfer. It would come in handy here."

His eyes never changing, Neji kept his arms crossed. "So they do know jutsu then?"

Nodding, Akako looked back down as she forced her tears to stay away. She hadn't talked about her parents this much in such a short amount of time since they died. "Yes. Papa gave me my Byakugan and my chakra. Mama, and every miko going back to the first is where I got my purification as well as my red hair and blue eyes. Mama was telling me that the chakra transfer would let me take chakra from someone else and restore my own if I ever needed to."

"I see." Neji then turned and looked out one of the windows and smiled as not only the ones that Tsunade said, but also Gai, Yamato, Kotetsu and Izumo were headed for them. "That I think we have covered."

Looking back up at him as he stood at the window, Akako blinked as her head fell to the side. "What do you mean?"

Turning back to her with a smile, Neji crossed his arms. "From what you have told me, I am guessing that you are precise with your purification and can use it at will and never run out. Even someone with a tiny bit of chakra can make it go far if they know how to use it. But your chakra control is off. You use too much of it at a time and just increase your purification to get the balance you talked about right?"

Her blue eyes extra wide, Akako could only look at him in shock. He hit the nail on the head the very first time that he said it! And she didn't give him that much detail about what was going on! "That's exactly right. Wow."

Nodding, Neji once again looked out the window as everyone else got closer, he let out a sigh. "Naruto Uzumaki is going to be here. He has chakra to spare at times. As well as others that are no slouch either and have massive amounts of chakra. Between Naruto, Tenten, Ino, Shikamaru and Sakura here with you as well as myself, there will always be chakra at your disposal. Each one of us know the chakra transfer jutsu."

But then Neji jumped with shocked eyes at her as Akako threw her arms around his neck and hugged him with a giggle. Once she let go and stepped back, he just gave her an odd look with his wide eyes. "Miss Aizawa what was….."

Shaking her head no, Akako smiled as she sighed. "Don't call me that. I hate that everyone but Grandma calls me Lady Akako. I understand why they do but I don't like it. I am no better than they are, regardless of what I can or can't do. Even miss is a title. Just call me Akako okay?"

"I can do that." Neji then smiled as he relaxed and her blue eyes danced into his. He still didn't understand this pull to her. Those eyes that seemed to make him lose all focus. It had to be just because she is the first ever with Hyuuga blood that has those colored eyes. But he also knew that he had to keep his head. It was too important that he did.


	7. Chapter 7

By that evening, Akako looked around her. Just like he promised, there was a smaller home that fit perfectly off to one side. There in the room, she was introduced to Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Kakashi and Yamato. The rest of them were outside and on the roof to keep the Hyuuga away. But one thing had been bothering her with what Neji said before.

Looking up at him, Akako pulled on his shirt and sighed when he looked at her. "I have a question. You said that you can all do the chakra transfer. But that does use chakra its self right?" When he nodded she let her head fall to the side. "Okay call me stupid but I think for me this is a perfectly logical question. The chakra transfer takes chakra from the one who is using it. And chakra not being limitless like my purification, won't it use up a lot of chakra for the one doing it?"

Pulling her eyes to her, Sakura laughed as she shook her head no. "No actually it won't. The chakra transfer doesn't take much chakra at all. With the amount of chakra that we all have, we can keep the chakra transfer going as long as you can handle it. All it basically is, I will use myself as a funnel of sorts. I will pull chakra from someone else, store it in my body and then push it into yours. That is one reason why Naruto, Kakashi, Yamato, and Shikamaru are here. Ino and I are going to be the ones doing the transfer."

Pulling all eyes to him, Yamato gave Sakura an odd look. "Wait what? Sakura I never agreed to….." But then stopped as a shiver ran up and down his spine to see the glare in her eyes as she turned on him. "Okay fine. But you all have to remember also that I will be using my chakra constantly when you are using Naruto, or any of his clones."

With a sigh as she turned around with her hands in the air, Sakura half smiled. "Yes I know this Yamato."

Laughing along with everyone else, Akako knew that those that knew what was going on, would want to know exactly what she has to do so that she can translate the scroll. And it was late already. Looking up at Neji she sighed. "Would you mind if I saw the scroll? I am sure that you and everyone want to know what I gotta do so that I can translate it."

Nodding Neji pulled the scroll out of his pack and handed it to her as everyone else looked toward her. Pulling out an empty scroll the same size he handed that to her as well. He was more than a little curious to know how she was going to do this.

Setting them up so that there were three lit candles, the empty scroll, the one she was translating and then her, Akako sighed as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Knowing all eyes were on her she folded her hands before her face. Pulling every single memory she had training with her mother to do this she took a deep breath. "Here we go."

Neji joined everyone else in watching with startled eyes as she started to glow blue, then everyone gasped as as what looked like lightning bolts, similar to the chidori, came out of her body and traced over all areas of the first word. It looked like she was literally burning it off of the page. Once it was gone from that one, they moved to the other scroll, and then moved, burning the word translated into something they could all read. Something everyone noticed before it was done. It was Hyuuga.

The whole process took more than an hour for her to do. just as she finished it, Akako opened her eyes and pulled her hands apart, the glow vanishing instantly. Looking down she sighed as she let her shoulders slump. "See, the only thing that I could do in over an hour was Hyuuga. That is why I said it is going to take me some time."

Before anyone could say anything, Aoi moved and stood just behind her granddaughter, laying her hand on her head. "She can use her purification to do anything, but when it comes to controlling her chakra to help make things go faster, she is a little lacking in that. It was the next few things that her parents were going to teach her."

Finally letting the tears drip from her eyes and nose, Akako kept her head down and hid her face with her hair. "We don't know what happened. They smiled and waved at me that morning and said they would be home later that afternoon. Mama. Papa. And my brother Atsushi. By evening when they weren't back, we all went out looking for them. Before anyone could do anything they passed."

With her own eyes looking down, Ino sighed. She couldn't imagine it. Losing not only one parent, but both and her brother at the same time. "I am sorry. That is so sad."

Whipping her eyes, Akako forced a smile. She promised them all before they took their last breath that she would always be strong. She wasn't about to start now. "It still hurts, but not as much as then. That happened five years ago."

Jerking startled eyes up to her, Ino blinked. "You were thirteen when that happened?"

Nodding Akako looked up as she smiled. Just like her parents and brother, she believed that everything happened for a reason. Everything. Including the Akatsuki attacking forcing her to send for help. "Yes. I was devastated at first. I even thought about running away a few times. But in the end, it was something that my Papa always said that made me stay. That when I feel like I have nothing left to lose, to always look around me. I would always be able to find something that I did have left that would make me go on. I had Grandma. I had the village. I had my life. All three things that my parents and brother would put their life on the line for in an instant." Looking up at her grandmother when she patted her head, Akako took a deep breath. "So I couldn't just leave them like that. I was determined to live up to Mama and Papa, and Atsushi's expectations and pick up where they left off. I would be strong and protect family and friends just like they would."

Far from being the dunce he was before, Naruto laughed as he gave her a thumbs up. "There ya go. That's a cool way of looking at it alright!"

With a sigh as she blew the candles out, Akako smiled. "Well I think I am going to get some sleep so I can get a start on the scroll tomorrow." Rolling both the scrolls, Akako reached in her pocket and pulled out a charm that had the same symbol on it that Neji's pendant had. Using a string she wrapped both the scrolls and sat the charm on it and folded her hands, then touched it. "There. Now no one will be able to touch it but me."

"No one can take it?"

Smiling as she stood up and looked into Neji's eyes with a smile, Akako nodded. "That's right. It is kinda like the pendant that you are wearing but different. It is like it because there is a barrier around them both that won't let anyone touch it. Not even Grandma. The only way to get to it is if I reach in and move the charm. Even if someone tries to cut a whole in the floor and move the floor, that won't work. It anchors it to the spot and no one can move it unless they can move the earth."

Looking down at the scrolls with a nod and stern eyes, Neji crossed his arms. "That is good. Right now I think Hitoshi is more worried about the scroll than you and your grandmother." Looking up though, Neji looked around. "We all need to figure out who has what shift to stay awake and keep watch."

"But we are basically in the village." Naruto pulled all glaring eyes at him as he sighed. "Come on it isn't like anyone would be stupid enough to try and come get her here."

Reaching over and smacking him in the back of the head, Sakura glared at him as she crossed her arms. "Naruto you don't listen at all do you. It isn't the Akatsuki right now that we are all here to protect them from. It's the elders of the Hyuuga Clan that want them and the scroll. Geesh."

On his own feet now, Shikamaru drew everyone's eyes to him as he cleared his through with crossed arms. "We don't need to stay up in shifts. I have already taken care of everything."

Giving him an odd look, Akako didn't know what he was talking about with that one. How could he have taken care of watching for the grump and anyone he would send. "What do you mean that you took care of all of it? Are there more ninja than what are outside this house right now?"

Shaking his head Shikamaru sighed as he closed his eyes. "No. I figured that with you and your grandmother being a target for the Hyuuga as well as the scroll, they would be a problem for more than a few reasons. So I set up a watch with Shino."

"And what exactly is it that you have done?"

His brown eyes now hard and serious, Shikamaru turned back to Neji. "From the second that we left, all the way up until we were told to bring them all here, I have been going over all the different things that could happen. Thinking of ways to counter that and make sure that they are all safe while they are here in the village. Once we were told to come here, it was clear what I was going to do."

Glaring now, Neji narrowed his eyes at him. "So you think you have fooled their Byakugan? They may be old, but they are no slouches."

"I know that I can't do that. So far only the eyes that Ranma had have been able to fool the Byakugan. Using Naruto with his clones, I have thousands of charms placed around this village, and every house inside. The seal reacts to the faintest of chakra. If one senses chakra, it will rip. That rip sends out more chakra and will start a chain reaction."

Refusing to budge, Neji knew that if no one else Hitoshi would see that coming and be ready for it. "If they see it coming and see the seals?"

"In case of that I used a paralysis jutsu on some of Shino's insects. Each time one of the seals is ripped, the insect that corresponds with it is released from the jutsu. Shino knowing the instant it happens." Going to a wall and laying down, Shikamaru sighed. "So you can stay up in shifts if you want, but count me out of it. I am getting some sleep."

With a smile as she turned to help her grandmother, Akako laughed. "I will leave all of that to you guys. Right now I think we do need to get some sleep." She then helped her grandmother in the smaller home.

Watching them in then turning to glare out the window, Neji had to admit that what Shikamaru did would work. They would know about the seal itself, but not that the release of that chakra would have an effect on Shino's insects. The sooner that this gets done then the sooner that he can get rid of the curse mark and finally change the ways of the Hyuuga. But to increase speed in it, Akako needed to learn how to control the flow of chakra. That is what he would do as well. She would do the scroll some, and then train with different ones on how to control her chakra and be more precise with it. It will take longer at first, but as she gets it she should be able to translate the chakra better.

But the thought of spending time with her training, and flashes of her smile and those blue eyes flew through his mind, startling him. 'What is she doing to me?'


	8. Chapter 8

Looking up as the door opened, Neji couldn't stop the smile when he saw Akako helping her grandmother out of the smaller home that they slept in. He talked with the rest of them, and everyone agreed. Today, she would spend the day training in how to control her chakra. Hoping that would help her to be able to not only use just her own chakra to translate the scroll, but help her in doing it faster. If chakra control was second nature to her like the rest of them, she could focus on what she was doing more than how much of what power she was using to do it.

Once she helped her grandmother to sit down at a table that was there, Neji walked up to them and nodded to Aoi before he turned to Akako. "You slept well?"

Nodding with a smile Akako laughed. "I did actually. And I gotta say I really like that jutsu that Tenten used to do it. Do you think that she could teach me how to do that? It would really help for gathering herbs and food storage for us."

A soft smile, Neji nodded. "I am sure she will However instead of working on the scroll for the next couple of days there is a slight change in plans for you."

Looking up at him with blinking eyes, Akako let her head fall to the side. "Wait what?"

A now serious face, Neji sighed. "The level of chakra that you used for translating just the name of Hyuuga last night, is equal to a Chunin level technique. And some Jounin level. So you actually have more chakra than you think. If you learn how to control how much you use, you won't run out of chakra as quickly, and doing something that uses chakra will not exhaust you as it did last night. For the next couple of days, we will start some basic chakra control training with you."

"Okay that sounds good. But what does this call for? Like what will I have to do?" Akako then turned her head when she heard a laugh and blinked to find someone with white hair and a horrible face in hers. Stepping back and closer to Neji she gasped as her eyes went wide. "Who are you?"

"Would you stop it you old pervert!" Sakura then was there punching him in the face and sent him flying out the window. "I swear he never learns." Turning a sweet smile to Akako she sighed. "It isn't all that bad. Walking up things like the wall and trees. Standing on the ceiling and using your chakra through your feet to stay put. Even walking on water."

With each thing that she said, Akako knew her eyes were getting bigger and bigger. "Wait really! Doing this I could actually walk on water? Like for real?" When Sakura nodded, Akako squealed. "Oh can we start with learning how to do that? That sounds like fun."

With a laugh Sakura nodded. "You know how to swim right?" When she nodded she turned and headed for the door. "Then come with me. Izumo you too."

Looking up with an odd look, Izumi gave her a blank stare. "Wait what? Why do I have to go with you? You can teach her something like that Sakura."

Turning a glare on him that made him flinch, Sakura crossed her arms. "Because you know water style jutsu and have the water basin scroll. So let's go."

"Yes Ma'am."

With a small laugh, Aoi watched as Akako giggled and walked out with them. It was nice to finally see her smile with someone other than herself. 'Arai. Sahiko. I think she could be happy here. I do hope you think so too.' Movement next to her caused her to turn and see Neji looking out the window with hard eyes. "You do not think that Akako can do it?"

Keeping his eyes looking straight, Neji brought to life his Byakugan as he glared at Hitoshi and the throne of elders he had with him as they watched. "It is not that. Hitoshi is watching."

Her eyes wide, Aoi tensed. "But the one last night said about how he…"

"He knows that the seals are there. He just isn't sure how soon we will know about it if they break it." His eyes narrowed his they met Hitoshi's in a glaring match of their own. Neji would not let him continue to do what he has done to the Hyuuga anymore. And he would not let him near Akako or her grandmother. "His Byakugan is strong, and just like I can see him over the scrolls with it, he can see everyone and everything in this training field with his own."

With a sigh as she nods and drops her head, Aoi let her eyes half close. "I do not care what happens to me. I am old and most likely don't have long left before I go to see my son and grandson. However. Regardless of what happens, Neji I want you to promise to protect Akako from them."

"He will not touch either of you. That I can promise." Neji then turned his eyes down and looked through the trees to see Akako taking a couple of steps in the water before she dropped under it. Several times. But each time she came up out of the water there was a stronger determination to get it that shined in them. When she finally got it and was able to stand there on her own, be it unsteady, the smile on her face made his heart race. With a sigh, he let a smile form on his own face. He knew what was going on now. But did he dare let it go beyond an admiration? He couldn't leave the village. And she he was sure wanted to rebuild her own.

"You know. The shrine and the entire village was destroyed." Smiling up into his silver eyes as he looked at her, Aoi nodded. "I may be old but I am not stupid. And I heard her muttering to herself last night before we fell asleep. It doesn't matter where she lives or who she is with. She will pass on purification, which she has mastered to her daughter. And the red hair and blue eyes. Remember that."

X

"You know you have some nerve Hiashi."

Looking up from his desk, Hiashi sighed to see Hitoshi storm in with the rest of the Elders of the Clan. Taking a deep breath he sighed as he looked back down at his papers. "I did not invite you here. What is this about Hitoshi? I have work that needs to be done."

Storming up to him and slamming his hands on the desk, Hitoshi glared as his Byakugan flared to life out of rage. "Where is your family!? Lady Hinata isn't even in the village anymore! And we can't find Hiroko or Hanabi anywhere! What are you doing!?"

Without even looking up as he went over his daily grind of paperwork regarding the Hyuuga Clan itself, Hiashi sighed. "Hinata is now the wife of Lord Kazekage and lives full time in the Hidden Sand. Myself and Hiroko gave permission for this to happen and that was all she needed. No she was not given the curse mark before she left, nor was her Byakugan sealed. Gaara proved himself worthy of her and did things correctly when courting with her. Hiroko and Hanabi are under protection from Anbu under Lady Tsunade and have went to visit with Hinata. End of story."

"It wasn't bad enough that the Second Hokage stepped on our toes and let a Hyuuga escape the curse mark then. And here now you are doing the same thing! I won't have it! I will have Hinata branded and…." But then he jumped back when Hiashi fixed him with a glare that he had never seen before. There was a rage in his eyes he had never seen before.

Standing with his own Byakugan flaring to life, as well as letting his chakra swirl around him, Hiashi glared down at Hitoshi. "Make no mistake Hitoshi. If you get anywhere near either of my daughter's or my wife, I will kill you myself if they are harmed with so much of a split hair. I told you. The time of the curse mark comes to an end with that scroll. Get off your high horse and deal with it. Now get out of my office."

Glaring back now, Hitoshi didn't know what to say on that one. Turning to the other elders he flung his hands in the air. "Do you see! This is what happens when power is given to someone who thinks like this!" But when he saw the curiosity in their eyes, he narrowed his eyes even more. "Don't tell me that the lot of you think he is actually speaking a truth!" When they all just looked at him and each other without a word he let out a growl as he stormed out.

Once he was gone Hiashi sat down as he sighed. "If the rest of you are here for the same thing then you can leave as well. I do not have time to deal with illusions of days past."

One elder stepping forward gave Hiashi a serious look. "The ancient scroll that you took from the library. Is it true that it has a way to take the curse mark off of the Hyuuga?"

Still not looking up, Hiashi nodded. "I do believe that it does with the way that Hitoshi reacted yesterday in Lady Hokage's office." Stopping what he was doing he looked up at the Elders as he narrowed his eyes at them. "Tell me this. When are we going to start to trust our younger generations to keep the Byakugan safe and not have a jutsu that others use to torture them forced on them just because they are not the first born child of the Head of the Clan?"

His eyes going straight to the one talking to him as he sighed. "Imagine how it would make you feel for your granddaughter, who is about Hinata's age brought to her knees in pain because she happens to be better at something than the Main Family for it?"

His eyes going wide, the Elder stood up with shock all over his face. "Lord Hiashi! How could you say such a thing as that? The mark is not given to hurt someone for something like that. It is given to seal the Byakugan in case of death."

His eyes narrowing as he crossed his arms, Hiashi glared harder. "Then I take it that you were not at the front gate with Hitoshi yesterday?" When he shook his head he looked back at one of the other Elder's that dropped their head. "Why do you not tell him what Hitoshi did to Neji then? I see the look in your eyes."

Turning to the other Elder, the one who spoke had wide eyes. "What did he do to Neji?"

Dropping his head, knowing he had no choice, the other Elder sighed. "He took him to his knees in pain."

When the one in front of him gasped, Hiashi sighed as he went back to his work before him. "Said he would suffer until he let him take them. That is what I will stop. The times of the curse mark are done. I will see of that."


	9. Chapter 9

Laughing Akako ran and jumped up spinning in a circle, then landed on one foot across the water. "This is amazing!"

Laughing as she stood with Ino and Tenten, Sakura sighed. "I know right. Like I told you when we started. If you give out too much chakra through your feet, your feet become too heavy and you sink. If you don't do enough, you sink. But you got it perfect now."

Going to stand with them, all still on the water, Akako giggled as she let her head fall to the side. "Thank you. That was the last thing that Mama and Papa had to teach me was how to control my chakra. So this means a lot that you are all taking the time out to help me learn."

"Not a problem." Sakura sighed as she took a deep breath. "There are still more advanced things that you are going to learn, that will allow you to use chakra control to a more precise amount. Almost nothing, but enough."

"By learning some of the Hyuuga techniques."

Looking up with the others, Akako had wide eyes. "Wait really? But you said that….."

"And my Uncle was just here to see how things were going with your chakra control. I told him about the first question you asked me." Stopping as he crossed his arms but kept his smile, Neji took a deep breath. "He was alright with me teaching you anything that I wanted to."

Her eyes going wide with a gasp, Akako smiled. "Really? That would be great! Thank you so much!"

Nodding as she giggled again, Neji sighed then turned to Sakura. "She caught on well to this. What are you going to do next with her? While walking on water does take good control of chakra, she isn't quite ready for some of the Gentle Fist training yet."

Nodding as she smiled when Akako stopped smiling and turned blinking eyes to them, Sakura crossed her arms. "Going to have her walk up a few more things. Balancing. And then some basic medical ninjutsu things. If she catches on to them as well as she did this, she should be a natural at it in just about a week."

"But wouldn't walking up walls and trees just be the same thing as what I did for the water?"

Turning to smile into her blue eyes, Ino shook her head as she crossed her arms. "Yes and no. The level of chakra that comes out of your feet for water is different if you are walking up a flat wall. And even more different going up the side of a cliff or a tree. If the surface is ruff and uneven, you need to be able to adjust your chakra output the instant that you sit your foot down on it."

"Oh I see. That makes sense." But then Akako jumped and dropped her head, covering her stomach with her hands when it let out a loud growl. "Oh man that was embarrassing."

Laughing with everyone else, Sakura sighed. "Let's go and get something to eat. We can start the walls after that. After all it's only been a couple of hours since we started."

"That sounds good to me. Now that I think about it, I got so excited about…." Hearing water next to her, Akako looked to the side and screamed as she jumped and raced around to stand behind Neji as she grabbed his clothes. "Okay who are you really?"

Standing tall, Jiraiya sighed. "My name is Jiraiya of the Sanin. You my beautiful girl can call me….." But then he flinched and froze as he started to shake. "Now Sakura…."

Reaching out and grabbing his ear with an painful twist, Sakura sighed as she howled in pain but didn't move. "You can just call him Jiraiya. When it comes to a fight, he can carry his own weight. Any other time he is a class A pervert and says it is research for his books. Just slap him next time he does this. Trust me he deserves it."

"O….o…..okay."

With a sigh, Neji turned and lead Akako away from them. "At any rate. Let's go and get you something to eat."

Nodding as she walked next to him, Akako couldn't help but look back when she heard another painful howl. "Yeah. I got so excited I forgot to eat breakfast. That one….I have heard of the Sanin and how strong they are. Is he really one of them?"

"He is." Looking back himself at the way he was now begging Sakura not to hurt him as they reached land, Neji sighed with closed eyes. "When it comes to fighting, and to protect someone he is one of the strongest I have ever known. However, when he has time to relax he is the biggest pervert that I have ever known."

"Oh man."

Turning back to her with a smile, Neji laughed. "It's alright. He may be a big pervert, but a sharp no and walking away from him, or as Sakura a slap with no, is all is needed to make him stop at the moment. He will not push something like that on someone."

Taking a deep breath, Akako dropped her head as she closed her eyes. "Oh that's good. Though I will be jumpy around him for a while. I am sure someone from the village was one, but stuff like that is new to me. No one has ever said or done anything that was perverted around me, let alone look at me like that."

"He is harmless. He just likes to flirt." Neji reached out and opened the door for her. After they were in he sighed. "You know that…"

"I was being watched the whole time. Yeah I know." Smiling as she closed her eyes, Akako walked up the spiral stairs with him. "But that is alright. I can use my barrier to keep him away from me if I had to for a while. And once I get better at chakra control I can translate the scroll easier and faster. Then he won't be able to do anything to anyone." But she dropped her head as her eyes only half opened when she saw once again Neji hitting the ground with great pain in his eyes. It still bothered her.

"Akako?"

Stopping as she flinched, Akako looked up with her smile and laughed. "It's nothing really. I just spaced out." When he didn't move and kept his eyes on her, Akako sighed as she dropped her head fully. "I can't help it. I hate to see others in pain and it really gets to me. Mama said that I was what she called a sensitive. When I see someone else in pain, it bothers me for a long time. Even if I can fix it, and make it so it doesn't happen again, like with your pendant. Seeing you in pain then….."

"It's alright." Putting his hand on her back to urge her up, Neji sighed as he looked up. "That is not the first time that jutsu has been used on me. Nor is it the first time I have seen it used. Just remember, with your help, no one else will ever have to suffer like that because of one mad man again."

"That's true." Looking up at him, Akako smiled sweetly. "Thank you for everything Neji. Really. I appreciate it….." But then she gasped when she misstep and started to fall backwards. Closing her eyes she waited for the thud, but instead she tensed when she felt herself fall into someone's arms. Opening her eyes, her face flushed with a blush to find Neji there, once again with her in his arms. "Th…thank you."

His heart racing, Neji wanted to kiss her. But he had more respect for her than that. Taking a deep breath as her blush turned deeper, Neji smiled as he sat her down. "No problem."

X

Watching, Hitoshi glared. It would seem that everyone in the Clan was starting to turn on him and hoping that the wench could really get the curse mark off of them. And that scroll could do it! After a moment he turned as he closed his eyes and stormed off toward his home.

Cursing the second Hokage. Had he not stepped in, then there would not have been so many born with the Hyuuga blood that did not have the curse mark, or at least the Byakugan sealed. If the Second would have just not been there, his own father would have put it to rest with the one that got out and her daughter. But no.

And then Hiashi's father, who wasn't fond of the curse mark, but didn't have the nerve to buck up against the elders of the clan like Hiashi was doing now, declared that they will not go against the Second Hokage and to leave the bloodline alone.

Once he was in his house, Hitoshi went to his personal study and shut the door locking it. Around the room was a barrier of sorts that stopped any other Byakugan from seeing in. Even his own if he wasn't in there. Sitting down he reached over and opened the drawer. The girl who would have been the old woman's mother died before he could put any of his plans into motion.

However, that doesn't mean that he didn't do anything to stop the further spread of the Byakugan. Smiling he moved the partition in his drawer and sighed. He didn't realize then that the boys wife was a miko. Not until he saw what their daughter did to help Neji. But he had a piece of each of them. The eyes of the guy, and his son. And a lock of red hair from his wife.

Reaching out and touching the red hair, Hitoshi laughed. "Soon your daughter and her grandmother will join the three of you. And then I will deal with Hiashi and Neji for what they have done."


	10. Chapter 10

With a giggle as she flipped in the air, Akako dropped down between Sakura and Ino again as she smiled. "I gotta say this is actually really fun to learn. When Mama and Papa talked about chakra control with me, they were mostly going to focus on just having me focus and try to control chakra as I used it for different things with my purification. But this is so much fun to learn this way."

Nodding, Sakura looked at her notes as she smiled. "You have gotten a lot of it down and done already. In fact most of the basic chakra control that we learned starting out as a genin you have already gotten. Unless you can think of anything we missed Ino?"

Shaking her head Ino crossed her arms. "No I don't think so. Once we get the basics then it is just a matter of practice with the different jutsus that you learn to get the right amount of chakra needed for it and only it."

Folding the paper up after checking off what she did, Sakura sighed. "Well that wasn't bad for your first day. You are a real natural for this. Ino and I half expected with no practice in chakra techniques except for doing the scroll, that it would take you longer to get this stuff."

Giggling again, Akako let her head fall to the side as she smiled and put her hands behind her back. "I don't know. I guess because it is so new to me it is fun and I wanna learn it. Like learning a new game."

Smiling Sakura nodded. "Well that's a good way to look at it I suppose. But you did do a lot today and used a lot of chakra. Even if your body doesn't feel like it, that takes a lot out of you. Tomorrow we are going to take a break and then you and I are going to focus on medical ninjutsu. That takes more precise use of chakra to repair things on the cellular level and heal injuries."

Blinking now, and a bit nervous, Akako looked at her as she took a deep breath. "You mean like I will have to heal someone if they are…."

"No." Smiling Sakura sighed. "We will use fish starting out. Even something as simple as a paper cut can be made worse if being healed by too much or not enough chakra. The fish, that will work out either way it goes, if you slip up and the fish dies, then we will just use that fish for food."

Dropping her head as she bent over some, Akako sighed as she took a deep breath. "Oh thank goodness." But then she stood up again as she crossed her arms. "But to make sure that I learn how to do it using only chakra I need to put a temporary block on my purification while we train."

Giving her an odd look, Ino blinked as she let what she said sink in. "What do you mean a temporary block?"

Looking up with a rather serious face, Akako sighed. "Well, purification and chakra are basically one and the same according to how Papa told me about it. There are of course many things that you can do with chakra that you cannot do with purification like walking on water and up walls, and most fighting things. But he said they work about the same in how the body harnesses and uses it. He told me that when they were teaching me how to translate like I am doing for the scroll right now. But my purification can be used for more than arrows and barriers. I can use it to heal as well. Mama taught me that first thing was how to use it to heal myself if anything happened or someone else. It's second nature to me to use my purification to help someone heal. But I have a pendant that I can wear that puts a block on my purification and I can't use it so long as I am wearing it. Kinda like Neji's but where his keeps a barrier around him constantly, mine stops me from using it."

"I see then yes you will want to use that." But remembering what she was told happened to Neji and how it was Akako and her purification that stopped it, Sakura crossed her arms. "However if you have to do that, the chances of Hitoshi seeing what is going on and what it does is great. So for that I want Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru with us when we do it that."

Nodding as she smiled again, Akako closed her eyes. "Right."

X

Looking up from where he sat going over the training scrolls tha this father brought to him, Neji saw Sakura walking in alone. "Did she do well for the rest of the day?"

"She did. She may be as good as you are with the Gentle Fist style. She already mastered everything we learned in our first year as genin with chakra control." Sitting down at the table with them, Sakura sighed. "We are going to work on medical ninjutsu to narrow it down some more before you start doing your training with her. But I want you, Naruto and Shikamaru there for sure. Others too if they can if not I want the three of you there."

"Sakura?"

Looking up at his hard eyes, Sakura kept her own serious eyes. "She said that she has to put on a pendant like yours, but instead of keeping a barrier around her, it stops her from using her purification since she already knows how to use that to heal things. We both know Hitoshi will see it."

"And will probably try to use that to get to her if he can. We will be there." Looking back down at the scrolls, he sighed. "When are you going to start this training?"

"Day after tomorrow. She used a lot last night showing us how she translates with her purification and chakra. Then she used a lot today learning how to walk up things and balance and stand upside down on things. She needs at least a day to rest." But then she noticed the curious look on his face as he looked down at a scroll. Waving her hand Sakura pulled his eyes up to hers. "What was that spaced out look for?"

"This scroll. Uncle brought it to me so that I can go through them and train her in what I wanted too. However I don't even know about this technique. It is called Eight Trigrams Grid Palm. According to this, it sends a grid out from the user when he touches the ground and anyone caught in it has pain inflicted on them." But then his eyes narrowed as Hitoshi flew through his mind. "I have to learn this so that I can see if there is a way to counter it."

Nodding as he walked over after hearing it, Shikamaru had his hands in his pockets. "Because no doubt Hitoshi already knows that jutsu. But you aren't going to teach that to…."

Shaking his head as he rolled that small scroll up and put it in his pack, Neji sighed. "No. She wouldn't use it even if she learned it. But I know Hitoshi and those that are going to remain loyal to him no matter what the cost. And I very well may have to use it on them."

"Right." But before anyone had time to react there was a series of explosions from outside. His eyes hard Neji was on his feet. "Shikamaru you and Kakashi stay here." He then flew out the window and was gone, appearing before a startled Akako. Standing before him was a younger member of the Hyuuga Clan. "Who are you? You know that all Hyuuga other than myself or Uncle Hiashi are allowed in these confines. Why are you here?"

Shaking as he tried to fight whatever this jutsu was, Kouji couldn't move. He couldn't speak. It was almost like a puppet jutsu but he had no control over what he did and there were not strings. 'Damnit! But this is Neji! He will see that something is wrong and not hurt me. Right…..'


	11. Chapter 11

His eyes narrowing as he flared his Byakugan, Neji didn't move. "Why are you here?" But then he flinched. It was his eyes as he started to struggle to go through the hand signs. Moving before anyone else could react, Neji used the Gentle Fist and hit him in more than a few places, then catching him as he passed out. Without looking up he sighed. "There was something off with him and the way he did the jutsu. It was like he was fighting the act of doing it. And his eyes were terrified."

Going to stand next to him, Shikamaru glared. "But I didn't see any puppet strings. Do you see any seals on him anywhere?"

Looking him over Neji let his Byakugan fade. "I do not. But it was like he was not moving of his own free will."

Stepping up next to Shikamaru, Ino blinked. "Do you think that it was some kind of jutsu that is like the reanimation jutsu?"

Crossing his arms, Shikamaru thought for a moment. It would make sense. He saw the look in his eyes that Neji did. He was scared to death. And there are jutsu that some don't know about because they are clan secret. "It could be. There may be a jutsu that the Hyuuga have archived that would let them take over someone else's body like the reanimation jutsu."

"Would you mind if I do something?" Pulling all eyes to her, Akako blinked as she looked right at Neji. Pain clear in her eyes. "His eyes were more than scared. He was in pain. I can't do anymore than one pendant like yours at a time. But I can cleanse a body. My purification will take out anything that shouldn't be there. It can even cleanse away chakra that shouldn't be there. Could I try it?"

With a smile, Neji nodded. "Go on." He then watched as she dropped to her knees next to him and placed her hand on his chest with closed eyes.

X

Watching from the cliff he stood on daily now, Hitoshi had his hands fisted at his side. Not only did they see what was going on, that damned little brat didn't even get the jutsu done. That would have pinned them all in pain so I could sweep in and get the girl at least. But no they had to see what was going on and Neji had to knock him out. 'But so long as that is all they do to him, when he wakes up I will still have control of him.'

But then he gasps when he watches the girl kneel and start to do something to the body. Looking down at the seal on the lock of hair he had of his, his eyes couldn't be wider if they tried. It was vanishing! Flaring his Byakugan to the fullest, he glared. Coming eye to eye with Neji. 'Damn you. Iwill not let any of this happen. I won't!'

X

After a few moments, Akako smiled as she moved her hand from his chest. "All done. Now he just needs to wake up on his own."

"Right. Let's take him inside. It is getting late anyway. And we are being watched again." Neji helped Shikamaru lift the kid up and they all went back in. As they went up the stairs, Neji sighed thinking about the hand signs that the kid was going to use. He saw most of them in the jutsu that he was just saying he needed to learn so he could counter it for Akako and her grandmother.

But once they were in the room, and they laid the kid down along the wall, he knew the question was going to come. Turning to Shikamaru he sighed. "He had to have been being controlled. He is at best twelve years old. Probably just reaching his graduation from the academy. But the jutsu that he was going to use, I just learned today that it even existed."

"What is it?" Looking up at him from where she sat with her grandmother, Akako had wide and curious eyes.

"It is a jutsu that is like my gentle fist trigrams jutsus. But where my trigrams allow me to move faster than normal to hit chakra points of who I am fighting, this sends the usuers chakra up from the ground and anyone caught in the grid of it has the same thing happen to them, that they can do to me with the curse mark."

Flinching as her eyes went wide, Akako shook her head then looked down as she closed her eyes as hard as she could. "Barbaric. I understand fighting to protect someone you love. But to go to such an extent as that just to cause pain to someone….."

"That is one reason why I have to learn this jutsu." Seeing the shock in her eyes as she looked up at him, Neji shook his head as he held a hand up. "Don't worry it is not to use it the way that they intend on doing. I need to know how it works, so I can counter it. It is a Gentle Fist style jutsu, and there has to be something that can counter it."

With a sigh as she smiled and let her eyes half close, Akako nodded. "That's good." But then her eyes went to the kid that slept by the wall. "But why would they go to such great lengths to stop me from translating the scroll? Do they see the curse mark as something really that important?"

"It is the control that comes with the curse mark that they don't want to lose. Not so much protecting the Byakugan. Once you get the feeling of pain like you saw with me, most of the Hyuuga Branch Family members don't do anything that might bring the wrath of the Elders or Main Family down on them." Turning to Akako now, Neji had soft eyes. "He is a Branch Family so I am sure that what he allowed Hitoshi to do was no doubt to escape that kind of pain. Too much of it can kill, and right now Hitoshi is desperate to keep control of everything and he may have threatened him with that."

Before anyone could say anything, they all turned to see the kid waking up as he sat up and held his head. Going to him Neji knelt next to him as he pulled startled eyes up to him. "Who are you and what happened?"

Blinking as he looked down at his hand Kouji had wide eyes as he watched his hand do what he was telling it to do. Breathing hard he jerked his head up to Neji as relief and tears flew into his eyes. "You figured it out then? That it wasn't me?"

"I did." With a sigh as he stayed there, he watched as the kid dropped his head and worked to compose himself. "What was his plan with this?"

"Hitoshi Neji. It was Hitoshi." But then he jerked pleading eyes up to him. "Is there some way to get a message to your Uncle and have him to and get my parents and little sister? I am worried about them since he didn't get to do what he wanted to do."

Turning to Sai with a nod, Neji then turned back to the boy and sighed. "Start with your name. Then tell us what you know about what Hitoshi wants."

Nodding as he turned and sat on his knees, Kouji sighed. "My name is Kouji. Hitoshi approached me this morning and told me that I had to help him do something wot the girl with the red hair that is here. I started to tell him no, but then he threatened to use the jutsu on my sister. She is only six and has never felt what it feels like to have that done to her like I have."

"How did he take over your body?"

Looking up at the Nara, Kouji pulled his once super long hair around and revealed a large notch out of it. "He took some of my hair. He put it on a scroll and placed a seal over it. After a few hand signs he touched it and then my body wasn't mine anymore. I could see what I was doing, I could hear everything. But I couldn't stop it. When I saw you, my only hope was that you would see what was going on and not think that I was doing it on my own."

"I did." Smiling, Neji sighed. "The look in your eyes was clear that it wasn't you and that you were scared." Standing again, Neji turned to Shikamaru. "This is going to get worse as time goes on. He will use not only the Hyuuga, but anyone from her village that he can get a hold of to try and get what he wants. I figured he would have done something, but not used a kid to do something like this."

"Neji is it really true?" When all eyes turned back to him, Kouji jumped to his feet as he looked up at Neji, and then to the girl with the red hair and sky blue eyes next to him. "Is it true that the two of you are working on a way to remove the curse mark from the Hyuuga?"

With a sigh as he nodded, Neji smiled at him. "That's right Kouji. But how did you know about it?"

"The clan is in a spiral. Hitoshi is the only Elder that is left that still wants to keep the curse mark." Dropping his head as he let his eyes half close. "Some of the Branch Family that have been comfortable and working for Hitoshi without pain have sided with him. But most of the Clan wants you to do this and red every one of the curse mark."

Seeing the pleading in his eyes, Akako couldn't help herself as she stepped past Neji and put her hand on his head as she smiled into his shocked eyes. "I promise Kouji. Nothing is going to stop us from learning how to take off that curse mark. Alright?"

Smiling as he gave a sharp nod, Kouji laughed. "Right!"


	12. Chapter 12

Hearing her door open, Kanaye jumped from where she sat at the table with her husband and daughter and flew toward the living room, with them on her heals. But slid to a stop with fear in her eyes to see Hiashi walking in! "Lord Hiashi…"

With a soft smile, Hiashi sighed. "Your son is fine. He is with Neji and will be there for a while. Because of the threat that he made on him using his sister, Neji had a message sent to me. You are going to be escorted there as well."

His eyes wide, Souji just stood there. "You mean you are not….."

"Cross?" Turning his eyes up to Souji, Hiashi shook his head side to side. "I am not. He let Hitoshi use him for what he wanted to do to protect his little sister. I would never be cross with him." Turning to two of the Anbu that were there he sighed. "They will take you to your son. Go on now."

Bowing back to all three of them as they grabbed a few things for each of them, and Kouji, Hiashi watched as they were whisked away from the house and to a place that they could be safe. Turning to Kou as he stepped up next to him, Hiashi took a deep breath. "I want the word spread through the Hyuuga. Those that do not side with Hitoshi are to report to me at once. Understood?"

"What are you going to do My Lord?" Giving his lord an odd look, Kou didn't know what to think of this Hiashi verses the one who would use the curse mark on his very own brother.

"I am going to make sure that Hitoshi doesn't have anyone else to use if they do not wish to side with him. Once it is done, and the first curse mark is lifted off of the first Hyuuga, then there is nothing that he can do to stop it. I will make sure that everyone knows it, including Lady Tsunade." Turning to leave the house he closed his eyes. "I put a stop with it for Hanabi. I will set things right in the name of my brother. The first to have the curse mark removed will be my nephew."

X

Looking up as the door opened, Kouji smiled as he stood in time to catch his little sister as she ran to him with tears. "It's alright Kiyoko. I am fine I promise."

"Oh Kouji!" Rushing to her son, Kanaye hugged him as she fought to hold back the sobs. She didn't care who was there that could see what was going on. When her daughter got home and told her what happened with Hitoshi, the only thing she worried about was if her son was dead or alive!

Going to Neji, Souji shook his hand. "Thank you Neji. Thank you."

"No problem. Until we figure out the jutsu though, because of how intent Hitoshi is on stopping this. You will stay here as well." When he only nodded, Neji sighed as he went to his family. Looking down at Akako and how sad she looked as she looked at them he blinked. "Are you alright?"

"I am. But Neji, how much more chakra control do I have to get before you start teaching me gentle fist?" Looking up at him with sad eyes she took a deep breath. "The faster I learn how to control the amount of chakra that I use, the faster I will be able to figure out what the scroll says and get rid of the curse in the Hyuuga. I hate seeing people scared and in pain knowing that there is something I can do about it, but can't at the same time."

"Once you learn some medical ninjutsu, we will start your teaching of the Gentle Fist. That will help you to control your chakra even more. Once you get the basic mastered, then we will split your time up between the scroll and training in the ways of the Hyuuga." When she smiled and nodded, Neji himself couldn't stop his smile as he kept his eyes on her. There was something about her.

"Neji." When he turned to look at him, Shikamaru sighed. "I think that with what he did today, and what he could do if he was to be able to get some of the other ninja in the village, it could be really bad. I don't think that we have the amount of time that you think we do."

His eyes narrowing, Neji didn't move. "What are you talking about?"

Crossing his own arms, Shikamaru closed his eyes. "I have been going over what could possibly happen to try and stop this from happening. To use a twelve year old academy student to perform a jutsu that is far beyond what he would really be able to do. In reality if you hadn't noticed what it was and stopped the jutsu from going, having the curse mark himself, it would have likely killed the kid. Frankly the sooner that the scroll is translated and you and a few others learn the jutsu, the better."

Nodding Neji crossed his arms as he took a deep breath. "This is true."

"What jutsu was it?" His eyes hard as he stood next to his family, Souji fisted his hands at his side. To hear that Hitoshi was going to force his son to preform a jutsu that would have killed him infuriated him.

Turning to Souji, Neji sighed. "It was a jutsu that plays not only on the curse mark, but anyone in it. You know of the Eight Trigrams style of the Gentle Fist right?" When he nodded, Neji closed his eyes and sighed. "It works like that, but instead of allowing the user to move faster, it sends the users chakra through the trigram on the ground. Causing the same pain to anyone in it that the curse mark happens. I can only imagine that it amplifies the pain for someone with the curse mark to ten fold or so. The pain would probably kill them."

"Which is why you really need to start with the Gentle Fist with her first thing in the morning." As all eyes turned back to him, Shikamaru had hard eyes for Neji. "She catches on quickly and I don't think it would take as long. However, I am going to go and have Tsunade assign a full team of Anbu to the training grounds as well as Shino's insects."

"Right." Feeling her eyes on him, Neji looked into the worried eyes of Akako. "Your training in Gentle Fist starts first thing in the morning. Just so you know, I am going to start like you are a toddler just learning how to do it. As you master the smaller steps we will work our way up to a simple genin level technique. Once you get that mastered. It will only grow from there. If you catch on as quickly as you have today to the Gentle Fist, it shouldn't take that long."

Smiling as she stood up, Akako smiled and gave a sharp nod. "That sounds perfect to me."

X

"I see then. I think that is a good idea." Looking out the window over the village toward the Hyuuga Estate, Tsunade had hard eyes. "In fact I will put some of my personal Anbu on that task. How is she doing with her chakra control Shikamaru?"

Keeping his hands in his pockets, Shikamaru sighed as he closed his eyes with a small smile. "Great actually. She mastered walking on just about any surface we could throw at her in a day. So long as he starts with the absolute basics she should get it quickly. And the faster the better with what Hitoshi tried to do today."

"Indeed. However, we can't really do anything to him about it on the word of a twelve year old that has the curse mark." Her eyes hardening, Tsunade fisted her hands at her side. "There are not many who still side with him on keeping the curse mark, but there are a few who do. Even if he didn't the boy would have it used on him as well as his family if we moved to do anything."

"Agreed." Shikamaru then turned to leave as he sighed. "Just let me know who you post where My Lady. I am going to head back. We have shifts going on who stays up watching."

"Right. And Shikamaru." When he stopped and looked over his shoulder at her, Tsunade looked over her shoulder at him. "Make sure that they stay on track. Once everyone sees that the curse mark can be removed without killing the one who bears it, then they will all come around. Until then, Hitoshi is going to get more and more focused on trying to stop it. Things are only going to get worse so the faster that they get done the better there too."

Nodding, Shikamaru just left. He knew how important getting that scroll translated and getting the jutsu learned was to everyone in the Hyuuga. Neji especially. He was tasked with keeping everyone safe while he focused on her. It was time to show this village just what level of genius he had when he wanted to put it to good use.


	13. Chapter 13

Standing outside, Neji stood with Souji who was more than willing to help him in training Akako on how to use the Gentle Fist style of fighting. Which when broken down to its most simple of terms, is quite easy. With a sigh, Neji turned to Akako as she came out. "You are ready to do this?"

Nodding Akako smiled as she folded her hands behind her. "I am. The sooner that I can get my chakra under control, the sooner I can really get to work doing the scrolls translation."

"Good. Souji has agreed to help me until you get the basics of how to control your chakra to be able to do the gentle fist. Which is why I was going to have you wait longer before." Moving to stand behind her, they both turned and faced Souji. "Use your Byakugan Akako." Once she had it going, he nodded to Souji. "Watch his hand. When doing a palm technique, the Gentle Fist is to use our chakra to do the actually attack. Not hand signs and not physical weapons."

Her eyes going wide when Souji held his hand up to the side and his chakra came out just a few inches from his hand in a fine and precise point. "It looks like he has a blade coming out of his hand."

"Indeed. Now let your Byakugan fade while you look at it." Neji watched as her eyes got even wider. "The Byakguan is not only used to see inside things but to see chakra. Use it again." He then kept his going and walked around to Souji and pointed at the eight places for the eight gates. "Each place that you see here that looks like a ball of chakra is a chakra gate. As the gates are opened, chakra strength is increased. At the same time it is deadly to open them up too far and too fast. That is what we focus our attacks on. If we can get a direct hit to a chakra point…" He then used his own palm and touched the chakra point in Souji's shoulder. "We can stop the flow of chakra to that gate. If we touch them all, we stop their flow of chakra all together and they cannot use it, unless we unlock them again. Like this." He then released the flow.

Looking down at her hand, Akako sighed. "So that is why Shikamaru said that teaching me the Gentle Fist now would only make me focus and control it that much faster. Because you have to have near perfect chakra control to be able to hold that shape at all times when you are fighting."

"Exactly. And move it around. My cousin Hianta can make them extra-long and the faster she moves her arms in a circle, the chakra is left in the air and forms a barrier of sorts around her. You can also do it from any part on your body. Even your toes." When she looked up at him with wide eyes, Neji smiled. "Your first focus in the Gentle Fist way is to hone your chakra control. You do not need to have something like Souji did at the moment. However you Need to be able to pour out your chakra basically the same."

Watching as Tenten came over with a scroll and handed it to him, Akako blinked. "What is in that."

Rolling it out, Neji released it to show a large wooden frame, with seals around it. "As your chakra control gets better, the seals will be reduced to a hair line hole there. Your goal for each step, is to keep as much chakra going through your hand, to come close but not touch the scrolls. You will know if you get to close to them because the writing will vanish."

Looking at her hand and then up at the seals, Akako was more than a little intimidated at the moment. She had never done anything that was that taxing on chakra and focus before in her life. However, if she could push her way through and stay focused and get it so it comes out like a hair, she wouldn't need to learn how to fight in the Gentle Fist. She would just need to learn other jutsu to fuse her purification with. "You know Neji I think this is the only thing that I really need to do for my chakra control."

Looking down at her odd as he stepped up next to Neji, Souji was a bit confused. "I thought you wanted to learn the ways of the Hyuuga?"

"I do in a way and in a way I don't. I wanted to learn the way of Gentle Fist fighting, only because I had heard that it was the ultimate way to control chakra for things." Looking up at Souji's eyes she smiled. "But this is going to do that. Being a purifying miko I can fuse my purification with any jutsu that I do and make it that much stronger. I had no chakra control before. With better control, I can fuse chakra with my purification techniques that I have and make them stronger. That is what I really wanted to do."

"I see then." Neji started to turn and tell her to start when a hawk flew down and landed on his shoulder. "Lady Tsunade's messenger bird." Turning to Akako and Souji he let out a sigh. "Souji would you start her training in this?" When he nodded with a smile, he turned to Akako and sighed. "I must go and see Lady Tsunade now. I will be back."

"Alright." Seeing the worry that flew through his eyes made her own eyes close. She hated seeing anyone upset, but for some reason seeing Neji upset made her even more upset about it. And she didn't even know what was going on.

"Miss?"

Hearing Souji's voice pulled her from her thoughts as she turned a glare on him with crossed arms. "I hate titles. The people of the Aizawa village insist on calling me Lady Akako or My Lady. I hate it. No Miss either. Just call me Akako."

With a smile Souji moved to stand behind her as he lined her up with the training tool. "Very well then Akako. Let's see what we can get done before Neji gets back right?"

Holding her hand up and pulling out her Byakugan Akako smiled. "Right."

X

Walking into her office, Neji gave a small bow and then looked up to find her glaring eyes. "You wanted to see me My Lady?"

"I did. Shikamaru said that you were going to start training her in the Gentle Fist style?" Her eyes were hard, not because of that. But because of what Hitoshi has done.

"I am. I left Souji in charge of it for the moment while I came here. My Lady what is going on?" His eyes now glaring too, Neji stood in the middle of the Hokage Office. Something was wrong.

Dropping her head with a sigh, Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "In an effort to try and stop all of this, Hitoshi has went the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire. He is over everyone in the land. We cannot even appoint a new Hokage without his seal of approval. If he tells us that we have to stop then…"

With a smile, Neji laughed as he pulled startled eyes up to him. "I know exactly what we need to do. When will he be here?"

"In just a few hours." Her eyes more curious now, Tsuande crossed her arms as she smiled. "What is going through your mind Neji?"

Turning to go back to the door he laughed. "I know exactly how to get around him going to the Feudal Lord My Lady. Send word to us when he is spotted."

"Neji?"

Stopping at the door as he looked over his shoulder, Neji sighed. "I have a secret weapon of sorts." He then let his eyes flick up to the ceiling. There was someone there.

Seeing his eyes, Tsuande sighed. "Alright. You were going to be present at this meeting with your Uncle as well as Akako."

Nodding Neji just left and smiled as he walked down the hall. Whomever that was must not have known a thing about Naruto and who he does and does not know or they would not have done something like this. Neji himself knew that he knew him personally from a mission before he left to go and train with Jiraiya.

Once he was out of the mansion he was gone and reappeared just at the door to the house. Going in he looked straight at Naruto as he looked up. "Naruto. When Lady Tsuande summons Akako and myself to the Hokage mansion in a few hours. I am bringing you and Sakura."

Blinking as his head fell to the side, Naruto was confused. "Why us?"

Turning to go out and see how Akako was doing, Neji laughed. "Because in an effort to stop what was going on here, Hitoshi went to the Fire Daimyo. I do believe that you Naruto know him?"

"Really! He is coming here!" Laughing as he smiled, Naruto gave a thumbs up. "We got this in the bag Neji. You know that."

"Exactly."

X

Going to where Souji was standing, He used his Byakugan and smiled. She was doing amazing. "She is doing much better than I thought that she would be doing. I wasn't gone for that long."

"Indeed. It seems that her desire to want to translate the scroll to remove the curse mark is something that drives her at the moment." He dropped his eyes as they half closed as he thought about his children. It was too late for Kouji to escape the pain of the curse mark. Yet, Kiyoko has not had to feel the pain that comes from it. "It cannot come to pass soon enough for me. Kouji has felt the pain. Kiyoko has not. I would very much like to keep it that way."

"Uncle and I have talked about this." Looking from Akako to Souji, Neji sighed. "I will be the first one to have the curse mark removed. Just in case something does go wrong. I will be in part a sacrificial lamb. After that, I am sure Akako would agree to it as well. Kiyoko will be the first to lose it."

His eyes wide as he looked at him with an odd look, Souji didn't know what to say. He thought for sure that they were going to stay close to his blood family for the second one. "You are sure?"

Turning away from Souji to where Ino and Tenten sat with Kiyoko and played with her, Neji nodded. "Indeed. I do not think that Akako will have a problem with that." He then turned and flinched and moved to catch her as she let her eyes flutter and started to fall backwards. "Akako?"

Looking up at Neji, Akako smiled as she took a few deep breaths. "I was almost to the end of it when I think I just ran out of steam. But I didn't touch the edges."

"I know. Come. Take a break and recharge." Helping her to walk, he walked right past Souji and headed for the inside. "To get almost out of that and not touch the seals was a feat in and of itself. You need to rest now."

Nodding, Akako wasn't going to argue with it this time. "Totally." She then looked at him once they were inside and going up the steps. "What did she want to talk to you about?"

"Hitoshi is doing one more thing to try and stop the scroll from being translated by calling in the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire." When she gasped he sighed. "Myself, you, Naruto and Sakura will be going to meet him later. But everything will be just fine and in our favor. You will see."

"How do you know for sure though? He is like over everyone isn't he? Even if he says no more scroll he wouldn't make you let him have us would he?" The fear in her blue eyes and her voice clear. He terrified her and infuriated her all at the same time.

"I am sure. I have a secret weapon of sorts." Neji just shook his head when she started to ask another question before they went in the big room. Naruto was his weapon. The Fire Daimyo liked him and valued his opinion on anything. 'I am counting on you Naruto to get us out of this one.'


	14. Chapter 14

Looking up as the door opened, Ichi blinked to see Neji walk in, followed by a raving beauty with fire red hair and bright blue eyes. But then he smiled to see Naruto and Sakura walk in behind him. 'Well now. I have to wonder how much of what Hitoshi told me is true. One thing Naruto is not and never has been in a liar.'

With a glare, Hitoshi looked at Neji and the girl. "You were supposed to bring her and her grandmother so that I can take them off of your hands when this is over Neji. Where is the old woman?"

Keeping himself between him and her, Neji glared. "Even if we have to stop with the scroll Hitoshi. You won't touch them."

"That is for Lord Ichi to decide boy." Hitoshi then turned back to Ichi. "Do you see what I mean My Lord? They hold no respect for tradition and the way things are done for the Hyuuga Clan."

Crossing his arms, Naruto laughed. "Oh please just stuff you old far." He then walked up to the desk and smiled as he leaned toward Ichi. "Hey Ichi how you been? That cat still getting away from your wife?"

Paling, Hitoshi started to take a step toward this brat. "Naruto Uzumaki you will not address him in such a mannor! You will show him respect!"

Turning a glare to the old man, Ichi sighed when he stopped. "Naruto and Sakura have full permission from myself and my wife to always and only use our first names and not our titles Hitoshi Hyuuga." He then turned tired eyes back to Naruto. "It is good to see you again too Naruto. It has been a few years." Leaning to the side to smile at Sakura, Ichi sighed. "You too Sakura." Turning his eyes back to Naruto he sighed. "What exactly is going on here Naruto? Seeing as you walked in with Neji I am guessing you know what this is about?"

"I do." With a sigh as he stood up and crossed his arms Naruto closed his eyes. "Basically her name is Akako and part Hyuuga. From what I have been told, the Second Hokage helped a branch family couple sneak their daughter out of the village as an infant without the curse mark that they put on them. She had her grandmother, her father died. And then her. He wants to kill them pulling the Byakugan and Hyuuga blood out of them, and the scroll will let us do away with the curse mark all together. And then they can't use it to torture other Hyuuga members."

"You foolish child! It is not used for such a thing. It is used for the sole purpose of protecting the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands if one should fall in battle. There is no other use for it! There is no reason to stop it!" Hitoshi glared at Naruto. He had to but his nose in here!

"That is not true and you know it Hitoshi." Walking in behind them all, Hiashi had a glare for Hitoshi. "More than once you have chosen to use the mark that has been done just because for pain and abuse. Even as far up to yesterday with Kouji. I have no doubt that had I not been there when you were close, you would have followed through with your threat and used it on a five year old girl because he didn't do what he needed to do."

"You are all mad! The mark doesn't do anything like that at all!" Hitoshi was seeing red right now. They all needed to just keep their mouths shut! This was how things have always been done and they needed to just turn away and let him do what needed to be done so that the Hyuuga would stay pure! He wasn't even going to say what his plans for Hinata were.

Turning to the Feudal Lord, feeling Akako starting to shake as she clung to him, Neji was growing more and more irritated. "My Lord. We can show you if you would like just what Hitoshi has done. All we need is to bring Inoichi Yamanaka here. He can mirror what he sees in Akako's mind and let you see it. She saw first-hand when he used it on me when we got back to the village and I refused to let him take her and her grandmother."

"I never….." But stopping as the Feudal Lord held his hand up he sighed. 'Damnit this is not going as well as expected. I will have to figure something else out.'

Turning back to Hiashi and Neji, Ichi sighed. "I would like to see just a second or two of what the two of you are talking about Hiashi Hyuuga. The level of pain that Neji talks about with it, that cannot be faked."

Paling seeing that Neji was the only one there with the curse mark, Akako gave him a pleading look. "Do you really have to see it like that?" When his eyes turned to hers, she dropped her own as they half closed. "The level of pain is insane. I can't stand to see it, and I never want to see it again." Closing her eyes, Akako shook her head. "I hate to see ot hers in any pain and that bothered me that he could do such a thing without provocation."

Blinking to see the girl visibly upset, Ichi sighed as he smiled. He stood and walked around to the girl and pulled her startled and pleading blue eyes to him as he touched her head. "That was all I needed to see. Until you spoke. I know all about the Aizawa. I have heard much about you too my dear. How in tune you are with other people and what they feel when you see it. That and Naruto. I believe him without a question."

Turning a glare on Hitoshi. "I think it is time that the new generation have more of a say in what goes on. After all, some traditions are true and hold strong. However, some let those that have the power, let that power to go their heads. I will not order anything stopped. But accelerated." Turning to Neji he sighed. "What needs to be done to have the scroll translated more?"

"She needs more training in her chakra control and then she can translate it all. She has shown us how she can do it with just the first word of the scroll. Translating into Hyuuga." With a sigh, Neji looked down at Akako and he couldn't help but smile. "She is already exceling at the Gentle Fist…"

"You are teaching her that! I forbid this! This is absurd she is coming with me now!" Hitoshi started to reach for the girl, having had enough of everyone telling him he can't do this. But what happened next had his eyes wide as he fell backwards on the floor fully paralyzed. Looking back with his eyes as he stood up with a glare and his Byakugan in full force, Neji just hit all his chakra points, and pressure points in a fraction of a second! He was truly skilled. But he would be the first one to die along with her and her grandmother! "Damn you."

Watching as the others that Hitoshi was there with, Neji kept his Byakugan in full force as he sighed. Once they were gone and no one or nothing was there, he turned to Tsunade and sighed. "Staying in the training grounds will be fine with your typical Anbu to protect them for the villagers of the Aizawa village. However, she needs more training and less distraction to do the scroll. I want everyone that is under her guard, Souji and his family as well to leave the village and go the Aizawa. And we may be able to appease Hitoshi in a way as well."

"How can we do that?" Looking up at him as she blinked, Akako let her head fall to the side as she sighed. "How can we still do this and make him happy at the same time? He wants me and Grandma dead."

"Because you said once before that you have the same scroll that Uncle gave us to translate at the Aizawa didn't you?" When she nodded he watched her eyes go wide. "We take you and your grandmother back to the village. You find your scroll and then Hitoshi can have the one we have now back. If it is not something that he knew existed then he can't throw a fit over what is done with it."

Blinking then laughing, Akako smiled. "That's brilliant! I am good with that. It would have been kept under my house. They were so dead set on just getting me and my grandma I don't think they even thought to come back and look for scrolls that they can't read."

Clapping his hands together, Ichi sighed as he smiled. "Well now." Turning to Naruto he shook his hand. "Young man, I know you won't let them do anything that could hurt anyone and will make sure that they will be able to do this in the end. I expect you to do just that. Also, once it is done, you need to come by and visit for a while. It is always nice when you come to visit."

Keeping his smile, Naruto gave a sharp nod. "You bet. I will even bring Sakura and some other friends with me."

Once the Feudal Lord was gone, Naruto turned to Tsunade and winked. "Tonight then?"

"It would be best." Pulling eyes to him Neji sighed. "I froze his mobility. But it will wear off in a matter of hours. The sooner we get back to Aoi and leave the better it will be for everyone in the long run."

"Right." Tsunade sighed as she watched the sparkle in the girl's eyes as she hugged Neji with a giggle. Giving a small smile she looked at the approving look that Hiashi had in his eyes. 'Well Hizashi. I guess things are going to turn out for the better for your son after all. He deserves this. And I do think he found his perfect wife.'


End file.
